Birthday

"Birthday"

My birthday comes,

Every January.

That’s something,

That defines me.

That date came and went,

Both before and after I was born.

Every January twenty-first,

Day by the sun is shown.

While uneventful,

By many standards,

During my life,

I've learned many lessons.

Fire is tempting to play with,

But only toy responsibly.

If I'm playing and anything is hurt,

The fault lies with me.

People are tricky,

Sometimes hard to understand.

Your value doesn't decrease,

If you've only one hand.

People in your life,

For the most part are transitory.

When asked for the truth,

They've their own story.

Some will tell what they saw.

Some will twist and deceive.

Sometimes every day things,

Are hard to believe.

I've learned that my word is valuable.

Truthful is better than pleasing.

Often times at first sight,

We don't understand what we’re seeing.

Your distance from me,

Doesn't affect your place in my heart.

Over the span of our life.

We never even know when a lesson will start.

Right now I'm forty-two.

Soon I'll be forty-three.

My birthday comes in January.

That's something that defines me.

Danny Gunter

10-20-2011