CCSS

R.1, R.2, R.4, R.6, L.5

Promise

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Remember, the time of year

when the future appears

like a blank sheet of paper

a clean calendar, a new chance.

On thick white snow

You vow fresh footprints

then watch them go

with the wind’s hearty gust.

Fill your glass. Here’s tae us. Promises

made to be broken, made to last.


Simone Padovani/Awakening/Getty Images

Jackie Kay

Meet the Poet

Jackie Kay is an award-winning writer, poet, and playwright from Scotland. She often writes about her childhood, her family, and her Scottish and Nigerian heritage. She currently lives in England. 

From Jackie Kay, Darling: New & Selected poems (Bloodaxe Books, 2007)

broken

How do you think the poet feels about making promises or setting goals this time of year? 

a clean calendar

How are a blank sheet of paper and a clean calendar alike?

the time of year

What time of year do you think the poet is talking about here? Look for more clues as you read the rest of the poem.

tae

Tae is a Scottish word that means to.

vow

To vow means to make a serious promise to do something.

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Text-to-Speech