In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve just had a birthday. Kind of a biggie.
I know, I know, I’m an Aries. Meaning anything and everything is a big deal.
But really. I’m not crying wolf. My new age ends with, umm, a zero.
I celebrated for 24 solid hours in so many whimsical and delicious ways, including a flock of flamingos in my front yard, soft & salty bagels-and-lox, and an hour long conversation with my sister who lives, by the way, in east Africa.
Total decadence — and it’s not over yet.
I still have a little junket planned with three good girlfriends (think vineyards, redwoods and facials) and a new mountain dulcimer to master. (I’ll get back to you on that one. Could you give me ’til next April?)
In the meantime, it’s Friday and (lest we forget) NATIONAL POETRY MONTH!!!
What better way to draw out my day into weeks than reading birthday poems?
Come on. Grow old along with me….
A Joyful Song of Five
by Katherine Mansfield
Come, let us all sing very high
And all sing very loud
And keep on singing in the street
Until there’s quite a crowd;
And keep on singing in the house
And up and down the stairs;
Then underneath the furniture
Let’s all play Polar bears;
And crawl about with doormats on,
And growl and howl and squeak,
Then in the garden let us fly
And play at hide and seek;
And “Here we gather Nuts and May,”
“I wrote a Letter” too,
“Here we go round the Mulberry Bush,”
“The Child who lost its shoe”;
And every game we ever played.
And then–to stay alive–
Let’s end with lots of Birthday Cake
Because to-day you’re five.
i thank you God for this most amazing day
By e.e. cummings
i thank you God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any–lifted from the no
of all nothing–human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
Turning Forty
By Ted Kooser
At times it’s like there is a small planet
inside me. And on this planet,
there are many small wars, yet none
big enough to make a real difference.
The major countries—mind and heart—have
called a truce for now…
You can read the rest of the poem here. It’s one of my favorites. But really, I’m not mourning over the old dictator. Conquering the world’s not all it’s cracked up to be and committees are awfully fine. Dontcha think?
Happy Birthday, Liz! I’m approaching a big ending-in-zero birthday this summer, too, so I especially appreciated your post. Have a great weekend!
Happy Birthday, Liz!! You and I are practically Aries twins. I’ll be joining you next Friday on the 13th. Like you, I’m finding quite a bit of joy in the occasion.
It’s a hell of a lot better than turning 39 was, if you ask me.
Kelly (Big A little a)
Yes! I really thought 37-39 was a bit of a backwater eddy. Happy almost birthday to both of you gals, too!!!!
Happy Birthday!
As a slightly older gal, I have to say, welcome! It only gets better.
Happy Birthday! Celebrate and enjoy!
happy birthday, liz
and thanks for the poems,
-annette simon
Happy Birthday!
Sounds like you’re celebrating the new decade in quite the style!
Mary Lee
A Year of Reading
Liz, happy birthday! Whoop it up!
Susan Thomsen
Chicken Spaghetti
I think that the older we get, the longer we should be able to stretch out our birthday celebrations. 🙂 Every year is something of a victory, after all.
Happy freakin’ birthday! And great poem choices . . .
I’m a Taurus (close to Aries), about to turn one-half-of-seventy myself. And to me, seventy is officially “old” (69, for some reason, ain’t no thing, but 70 seems OLD to me), so it’s a bit odd, but I am one of those women who truly does look forward to aging, gaining wisdom and grace, and all that. Here’s to Spring birthdays . . .
HAPPY BIRTHDAY again!
— Jules at 7-Imp
Hey it’s my birthday too! Those are some great poems – thanks! I really love e e cummings. I posted a link to Ogden Nash’s Always Marry and April Girl on my blog to celebrate birthdays in April. BTW, I think I have you beat by a few years and I have to say it does get better and better!
Happy Birthday to you!
-cloudscome http://awrungsponge.blogspot.com
Love those poem choices, fellow Aries. I’ll see your Ted Kooser, and raise you a Billy Collins — here’s a link to “On Turning Ten”, which I was lucky enough to hear him read not long ago. He wrote it as a swipe at the “On Turning X0” poems out there (40,50,60,whatev)
Thank you guys, all…
What a great hoorah I got on my way into the next decade…
LOVE “On Turning Ten,” Kelly. Thanks!!!