Sixty Eighth Birthday Poem

“Some of it’s magic. Some of it’s tragic.
But I’ve had a good life all the way.”

Twenty three clocks tick out sixty eight.
Outside, the frozen earth does not notice.
We blow through our lives like autumn leaves
and land wherever the winds take us.
Tides change. Rivers flow. On we go.
Time will come when time will stop.
Every moment a gift of unexpected delight.
Take the blows. Savor the joys. Love your loves.
Hold your head high. Stay true. Never say die.
Be in the now. Be what you are. Stay in the fight.
Continue the long walk along your only way.
“What do we say to the god of death?
Not today. Not today. Not today”