Prayer for the New Year

By Mary Mulvill

I want to write about

starting over. About how

the outgoing tide recedes,

almost imperceptible

at first, but steadily

lays bare the marooned

shells and delicate sand dollars

that were always there

under the tangle of kelp & foam.

And the vast plain

of luminous sand

that smoothes out

to welcome

those who have not given up

on nature, who pick up

each soaked bit of driftwood

in wonder. Examine

the fierce marks of seagull beaks

and the rounded corners

from years in the water.

Meanwhile, the incoming swells

give up the horizon

over and over. Reappear.

Everything I need

is here for me,

if I will only allow

myself to receive it.

I don’t know

quite where to start.

So, let this small poem,

almost overlooked

entirely, be my way

of beginning again.

Let me be open

to what lies hidden

in plain sight, watch

the slow doubling

of the beach unfold,

inhabit my

disappearing body

before it’s only a soul.


Mary Mulvihill is a health psychologist and professor at San Diego State University. She specializes in working with chronic pain, trauma, medical regimen management, geriatrics, and use of mindfulness, somatic therapy, and creative arts - including poetry for healing and personal growth. She grew up in San Diego, enjoying the ocean, swimming, and communing with nature. Dr. Mulvihill is a registered Soul Collage facilitator, which is an accessible modality for all to enjoy working with healing images, learning self-care, and fostering creativity. She began writing poetry when in graduate school at Emory University, where her mentor was John Stone.