I’ll be the same as always
When midnight rolls around
As a semi-auto burst,
And a hail of shell-casings

When this city foams mad
At a New Year’s toast
Of good health and great fortune

I will cling to the hem of old ways
The frayed sense of comfort
Which will leave me, rotting in these streets

I will be the same
As the curtains of the past are drawn
And have lulled our demons to sleep,
Or so it will seem

I’m the same as before this year’s cursed toll
I will be, for many more:

The uninvolved
The untouched
The unfazed
The unashamed