New Years Eve Poem, 2023
by Penelope Page Van Voorst
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This year was a banger, in more ways than one:
The brothers got cocky with new airsoft-guns;
Mom grew a baby and Dad grew a beard,
While kids just existed for another full year.
The government’s crazy (so what else is new?)
And our entire congregation came down with the flu.
To start this adventure, we’ll focus on Dad:
He read heaps of books, which we all could have guessed.
He went on walks even when weather was bad
And came home with more books checked off of his list.
Mom also existed for one entire year,
And she didn’t give up! (At least, not frequently.)
She kept house in order despite childrens’ games,
And cooked all our meals deliciously.
Atticus grew taller and his voice went down south.
(It came back more mature than it had left).
He got obsessed with movies and guns and food
And hot sauce is still his best friend.
Well, I didn’t die, so I’ll call it a win!
I learned how to knit and wrote stories galore.
I learned how to survive the airsoft range
And knitted and wrote even more.
Finneas……is Finneas. And can I say more?
It's been eleven years with no change.
He still has an outrageously fun sense of fun,
And his new favorite joke is called “pain”.
Laurelai decided that short was still cool
And grew nary an inch!
She still loves unicorns and everything pink
But she’ll sometimes wear blue….in a cinch.
Rocco resolved to serve Finneas forever.
This news we should have foreseen.
The two of them wrestle, dance, and get hurt,
And watch Home Alone on repeat.
Callista grew taller but her hair isn’t longer:
She now has two dogs that she cuddles.
She likes to watch movies and BE OUTSIDE,
Then she comes in, and gives her dogs snuggles.
Juniper loves to fix Mommy at night,
And her prayers are piecemeal of ours.
She enjoys wanting things (even if they fall through)
And talks about Santa for hours.
Ophelia learned the awesome word “No!”
And now she can’t help but to quote it.
She used to love Lambkins and then she got Baby.
And Lampkins? Well, he’s been demoted.
Well that is our family in 2023!
Who knows what the new year will bring?
A baby at least, and maybe more feasts,
And many more songs we can sing!
So now we raise our glass with cheer,
‘Cause 2023’s been an excellent year!
New Year’s Eve Poem
Van Voorst Family Year in Review
December 31, 2023
…
Tonight, we are gathered to review God’s blessings
In gratitude giving our thanks and confessing
That life is much better than any deserves
As God, our Father, provides and preserves
So, let’s take a moment to pause and to praise
The bounty of blessings and length of our days
The number of people surrounding our table
This privileged fam who lives life like a fable
First there is me, I’m the one you call, “Dad”
Except for your mom, that’d be weird, don’t do that!
I still work for Shelter but work from our home
My beard’s a bit longer and so is this poem
I smoke a cigar and sometimes a pipe
I blog and I post militantly online
I go out for walks and listen to talks
I fast until five and keep you folk alive.
Then there’s Paige, she’s the one you call, “Mom”
She works hard to keep you all healthy and strong
She cooks all your dinners, corrects all you sinners,
And buys all the clothes that you lose every winter.
With her you have watched All Creatures Great and Small
Counted your fingers and learned to can broth
Learned to read and write out your thoughts
One of which should what a great mom God brought
Then there is Atticus, he’s the one we call, “Add”
Many people look up to him ‘cause he’s taller than dad
He loves to draw comics of Skeeters at war
And likes to drink beer with a Churchill cigar
He loves to shoot guns and is a naturally good shot
And Trouble’s the first one he built has bought
He eats and he eats; then eats more for dessert
He’s 15 years old, but eats 50 years worth
Next there’s Penelope, she’s the one we call, “Nen”
Lydia Spratt is her very best friend
She writes lots of stories and plays lots of songs
She is a good sister and a miniature mom
She drinks her eggs, but eats her butter
Avoids her sweets to help her gutter
She super at scoochin’ and dabs like a boss
And still finds the time to pretend she’s a horse.
Next there is Finneas, he’s the one we call, “Finn”
If someone is fighting, it’s Finn who will win
He’s funny and loud and quick on his toes
He likes to eat chili til it comes out his nose
He hates to be tickled, but loves to be tackled
He wrestles his loved ones and breaks out of shackles
He is full of fire which is warm for his friends
But is flames for his foes who will soon meet their end
Next there is Laurelai, she’s the one we call. “Lolo”
She’s tiny and tough, but not one to roll solo
She likes having others around when she plays
But also likes alone time on the toilet most days
She likes baking cookies and working on crafts
She likes fancy cheeses and doing her math
She loves milk by the gallon and yarn by the yard
She like praying for others and writing them cards
Then there is Rocco, he’s the one we call, “Rock”
He likes Urban Camo and mismatching socks
He loves all his siblings, but Finn is his twin
If their shirts do not match, he changes again
He has six pack abs and a head that is hard
But soft is his heart when he’s smashed in the yard
He likes coffee at church and a hug before bed
And hanging on my arms until they are dead
Next there is Callista, she’s the one we call, “Lissy”
But I call her “Louie” or sometimes, “Lil’ missy”
She loves her dog, Trixie, and “fixing” her mom
She likes drawing people and chewing her gum
She plays the piano and knows “Smoke on the Water”
She is a good sister and a beautiful daughter
She likes holding Oey and helping fold clothes
She is a good eater and makes sure everyone knows
Then there is Juniper, she’s the one we call, “Juni”
She’s nothing if not the president of zucchini
The only thing second to it if you ask her
Is her loving devotion to her best friend, Santa!
She’s funny and bold and a beautiful lady
She’s likes eating snack and she likes to act crazy
She loves to give hugs and she loses her glasses
She wears Lissy’s pants, but stretches out their… backs
Lastly, there’s Ophelia, she’s the one we call, “Oey”
She was born at a time of the year when it’s snowy
She’s full of smiles, but fuller of teeth
She’s our little baby shark who likes to eat beef
She loves to take naps and she sucks on her sheets
She loves to dance as she bops to the beat
She says, “pizza” and “pips” when she’s hungry for food
And she’s happy and chatty ‘cept when she’s in a mood
Next year there’ll be another, it’s the one we call, “Baby”
And by then we’ll have picked out a name for them… maybe?
Perhaps it’s a girl or perhaps it’s a boy
Either way, we’ll be happy to receive them with joy.
While Lolo and Lissy are praying for twins
We all will find out if a boy or girl wins
We’re taking a chance and leaving it a surprise
So we’ll know for the first time when we see with our eyes.
This year was a blast and the soundtrack was great
Weezer was an early favorite, Valley of Wolves came late
We found Poor Man’s Poison and learned more by Shinedown
And added more tunes to our dinner-time ho-downs
We finished our first trip through The Lord of the Rings
We read Chesterton poetry and memorized kings
We read Kill the Dragon and you listened to Laura
We were cautioned by Belloc and went back to Narnia
We watched Kentucky Ballistics and his pall John Lovell
I killed a black snake with the point of a shovel
We watched Kill the Dragon and the Lord of the Rings
The Babylon Bee kept us laughing at things
We began watching Wade and his weekly news show
We hung Christmas lights as the streets piled with snow
We began family table as Buddy Brown suggested
We listened to “Rice… it’s so nice” as our food digested
So here’s to the year and to many more like it
So raise up your cups and your spirits just like it
By this time next year, in a brand new December
We’ll have more things to praise and new things to remember
We’ll have more things to list and more grace to applaud
More memories, more bliss, and more blessings from God
To be a Van Voorst is, of course, a delight
And to be full of joy is to join in the fight
For this feasting's a foretaste of where we are going
A land rich with milk and with honey overflowing
So tonight we say, “thank You” and look forward to more
And tonight we say, “cheers!” like we’ve been here before.
and Amen.
