February twenty-ninth,
Two thousand and eighteen:
It is a day that never was,
That no one’s ever seen.
And yet, my niece, by artful tricks
All hidden from the scene,
You use this day for turning six,
An age you’ve never been.
This special day, by happy rule
The whole world celebrates.
The kids at the Cathedral School
Eat cake from paper plates.
But they are not the only ones.
The squirrels in the park
Are making birthday cakes from nuts
They gather after dark.
The birds in nests atop the trees
Are waiting for a crumb.
And snakes in tunnels deep below:
They also hope for some.
The flags on all the buildings fly
Exceptionally high
When Arianna, six years old,
Is noticed passing by.
This is the year you learn to read
In English and in Greek.
I’m sure you will have got that done
About this time next week.
And don’t forget there’s dancing, too,
And painting red and green and blue.
And so keep on advancing through
The tasks your teachers set for you.
It never is too soon to ask:
What is the meaning of the task?
What do the grownups want for you
That you have all these things to do?
Some things are easy, some are tough.
Why are you learning all this stuff?
And can there ever come a time
When finally you’ve learned enough?
Sixth Birthday Poem for Arianna
February twenty-ninth,
Two thousand and eighteen:
It is a day that never was,
That no one’s ever seen.
And yet, my niece, by artful tricks
All hidden from the scene,
You use this day for turning six,
An age you’ve never been.
This special day, by happy rule
The whole world celebrates.
The kids at the Cathedral School
Eat cake from paper plates.
But they are not the only ones.
The squirrels in the park
Are making birthday cakes from nuts
They gather after dark.
The birds in nests atop the trees
Are waiting for a crumb.
And snakes in tunnels deep below:
They also hope for some.
The flags on all the buildings fly
Exceptionally high
When Arianna, six years old,
Is noticed passing by.
This is the year you learn to read
In English and in Greek.
I’m sure you will have got that done
About this time next week.
And don’t forget there’s dancing, too,
And painting red and green and blue.
And so keep on advancing through
The tasks your teachers set for you.
It never is too soon to ask:
What is the meaning of the task?
What do the grownups want for you
That you have all these things to do?
Some things are easy, some are tough.
Why are you learning all this stuff?
And can there ever come a time
When finally you’ve learned enough?