I hope today is jubilant celebration
Of a boy we watched grow up
Into a man made of liquid gold
I hope today you eat cake with your best friends
I hope today it takes you seemingly forever to blow out the candles
Because you have everything and everyone you could wish for
I hope today you laugh until your ribs hurt  
And smile until your cheeks collapse
Onto the firm bed of your jaw line, weak with exhaustion
I hope today when the sun has gone down
And the moon casts iridescent shadows on the patch of Pacific
You hear every night crashing outside your bedroom window
That you crash too into your memory foam pillow
Feeling the weight of love this world has for you
We admire more than your pretty face and rich brown curls
Your emerald eyes emit a light of their creation
Your hands covered in rings
I don’t believe to have hurt any living thing
Your lungs with strength incomparable
Sing loud emotions we feel but didn’t have the courage to speak
Your heart is brave, beats hard, loves deep
And moves mountains with the overflowing kindness pulsing in your veins
I hope today you never forget you are loved by a million
I hope today you get a kiss from your number one
Golden Boy,
Happy Birthday, my love

She swayed with grace and poise
As if she were created by the hand of degas:
A still beauty brought to life
Like a glorious swan that swims swiftly
Or like a fluttering butterfly flapping through the clouds.

In my mind you moved.
Your feet tapped on my heart and the lub-dub of my soul sped
A slight inclination to always imitate the You that danced in my mind  
A greater inclination to reminisce about our younger selves and our younger pains
Overpowered by an antipathy so strong that it caused even my greatest of inclinations
To dwindle and halt.

Let me tell you a story about a woman
A woman who stood still when the earth shook violently
A woman who didn't drown when she swam a wave filled ocean
A woman who had her feet flat on the ground even when she was at the middle of a hurricane
A woman who was given many reasons to give up but still decided to go on and hope

This woman is my mother
The mother that I dearly admire
And I forever will be fascinated by how steadfast she is

Eyes, those deep brown eyes
dance around
but stay calm, quiet, docile
as they meet mine.

Mouth like a child
your voice like a wave, it ripples across the room,
I can see the desert island and the palm trees.

Nose, ears, cheeks, jaw
carved by the Gods.

You amaze me