My Birthday Candle - poem

Can't remember my own birthday usually,
and I don't tell people about it normally.
To me, birthday is for others
rather than for the birthday person.

Birthday is a chance for others to show that they care,
and not for the birthday person to celebrate,
since every birthday is a reminder to the birthday person
that he or she has one year less on earth.

But then I received a nice 'birthday cake'
with hot burning 'candle' on it.
I tried blowing the 'candle' on the 'cake',
but the 'undying flame' will not go away.

And if the 'candle' continues to burn,
the 'icing' and 'cream' on the 'cake' might melt away.
Yet it will burn only for today, I guess,
'cos today is my special day.

The 'flame' will go off tomorrow, I said.
Then don't blow it off, he said.
But the 'candle' will grow shorter and soon die, I said.
Then use candle that won't die, he said.

Fake one perhaps but no heat, I said.
Electric one has heat, he said.
Ah, creativity and imagination runs wild again
just because it's my special day.

posted Friday, 23 July 2004