Bonus Poem - It's Hogmanay, or New Year's Eve

It's Hogmanay, or New Year's Eve,
The Scots' "first-footing" the belief
That if a dark-haired man's first in
The door, good luck is your motif;
So I remark now to my wife:
Once, that was easy in our house,
But now we look in vain to see
A hint of dark in either spouse!
To show the start of this New Year,
All kinds of things drop down this night -
Times Square, of course, has their big ball,
All crystal, with thousands of lights;
Atlanta has a giant peach,
And Eastport, Maine, a big sardine;
In Ocean City, Maryland,
A beach ball is the time machine;
In Mobile, Alabama falls
A half-ton moon (electric) pie!
And then, in Tempe, Arizona,
Falling from the desert sky,
A big tortilla chip descends
Into a massive salsa dip!
In Brasstown, North Car'lina, yes -
A 'possum makes that New Year's trip!
And down in Key West, Florida,
A giant ruby slipper's seen
A-coming down, in which there stands
- I kid you not - a real drag queen!
- But back in Pelham, Mass., I know
The thing this night that's up ahead
Is two old folks, without applause,
Who, early on, will fall in bed.

Scott L. Barton
(with thanks to Garrison Keillor's "The Writer's Almanac" for lots of details)