I am your birthday sssnake.
I came out to ssstretch in happy,
dappled light, the first like me
you’ve ever ssseen on these bluffs,
to help you make a wish.

You might wish you knew
what kind of sssnake I am.
I sssay live like you die tomorrow,
learn like you live forever.

You might wish you’d taken
the other path, beyond the trees.
I sssay when something changes
things are bound to change.

You might wish to lift me up
and take me home, and make me
live in human time.
I sssay you knew I was a sssnake
before you ever sssaw me here.

Happy Birthday to me!

I guess it’s not really customary for middle aged guys to mention their birthday, but what the heck. I’m 46 today.

I vaguely remember the sadness around me when John Kennedy was assassinated.
I remember the Apollo missions to the moon.
I remember rotary phones with 5 digit phone numbers.
I remember changing the channel on the TV will a big knob on the front.
I remember the invention of the hand held calculator.
I remember head shops lined with black-light psychedelic posters.
I remember when pop stars were all grown ups.
I remember when the news and the “star magazines” were completely separate.
I remember when Pong was on the cutting edge.
I remember when America lost respect for the presidency.
I remember when America had respect for the presidency.
I remember when the police tried to treat suspects with courtesy, at least up to a point, generally. (I don’t remember when they started making people sit on curbs, get down on their knees, and lie in the street, before they were even arrested.)
I remember when gas suddenly jumped over 60 cents a gallon.
I remember waiting in line to buy it for that much, then paying 5 bucks for almost a tank full.
I remember when, in order to talk to someone on the phone, they had to be at home to answer it. You couldn’t leave a message, and if they were talking to someone else, you just heard a beep.
I remember when people drove out into the wide world without phones of any kind, and no one seemed to notice.
I remember when technology lived in a laboratory, and a missile silo.
I remember when we were all afraid of war, when we wanted peace more than anything, at any cost except to lose our freedoms and our rights. They’d been hard won.