Point / Counterpoint

In the dverse poets pub, Laura presents us with a "Palinode form" challenge ~  two stanzas, one contradicting the other! 

The Old Year’s gone away to nothingness and night ~ John Clare, "The Old Year" 

1.

the old year disappears into nothingness

a fleeting shadow lost in time's relentless stream

its joy and laughter ~ gone with fading light

a ghostly trace of what once felt divine 

i mourn the past slipped from my grasp

each moment's glow dissolved with dawn's advance 

i clutch at yesterday ~ knowing it's a futile task

life moves forward in its ceaseless race

and time unbending offers not another chance 

 2.

but wait ~ what of the echoes in its wake

tender threads of memories gently spun

the old year lingers still with every step i take

a bridge of gold beneath the setting sun

it whispers truth ~ my guide along the path unknown

its painful losses teach ~ joys still light my sky

last year has not left ~ though shadows it did spread 

it shaped me ~ offered hope for this brand new year

for gifts unseen ~ gifts that never die