My Birthday Poem – by Nancy Slonim Aronie
The Cardinals came to breakfast
On the morning I was born
almost 80 years to get here
bet they’ve been here all along
but I would not have noticed
their arrival or the Dawn
since I was checking off the boxes on my Amazon order form cashmere socks, used books for
A dollar ninety nine
when I missed that step in Iceland that should’ve been a sign
but the universe knows better
and my higher self does too
sit down slow down
this doing will not do
so the last few years I’ve just been being
and it’s worked out really well
is it weird or wise to tell you
I’m awfully glad I fell ?
the Mr. is the first to Peck
but Shares the bounty on my deck
The Mrs. seems appreciative
a passion play on how to live
these weeks of quiet solitude
to watch my guests enjoy their food
have been the gold I tried to buy
so glad to learn before I die
now I can be without much else
it’s all right here inside my house
NANCY SLONIM ARONIE
is the author of Writing from the Heart: Tapping the Power of Your Inner Voice. She’s taught at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and received the Derek Bok Teacher of the Year Award at Harvard for two consecutive years as a teaching fellow for Robert Coles. She’s been a television performer in the miniseries “Catch a Rainbow,” a magazine columnist at McCall’s, and a commentator for NPR’s “All Things Considered.” She created the Chilmark Writing Workshop in her home on Martha’s Vineyard.
