random etchings

an ideal birthday party

In an ideal world,
on an ideal February morning,
my house in Tennessee
would slip next door
to California, Mississippi,
Alabama and Germany,
and on my birthday, I'd stumble
from bed to family chaos.

No need for other gifts or games
their presence would be enough,
with hugs all around, and conversations
restarted in mid sentence,
and children gathering themselves
into cuddles before rushing
off into cousin play.

And in the evening, after family dinner--
laughter and impossible to describe
jokes that echo back to childhood--
we'd sing, our voices raised
in harmonies we learned as children,
spouses lending new flavors
and the next generation
adding colors to our songs
that we'd never imagined.

Then, with hugs and tears,
I'd let them drift away, letting the memory
sustain me, until we meet again.

line count: 27
Prompt: THE IDEAL BIRTHDAY PARTY