Happy Birthday Jenny Poem by Jim Yerman

In school when I was growing up while destiny and I were still determining my path…I leaned more toward reading and art…I was not interested in math.

Oh, the basic math I needed in life I was able to adopt…but here…when it came to math…is where my interest stopped.

For instance I didn't need to amass a fortune…as my math and I agreed…I don't need to have everything I want….as long as I have everything I need.

And when it came to birthdays…as each year I turned another page…I seldom knew how old I was…I let other people track of my age.

Yesterday we attended a birthday party for one of the last students I ever taught…when I saw Jenny sitting there I was overcome by this thought:

It was Jenny's 30th birthday! …How can this possibly be…because…if Jenny is 30 years old…then how old does that make me?

I suddenly wondered how many years I've been walking down life's path and I decided, against my better judgement…that I would do the math.

Let's see…I was 62 when I retired…(I think I remember that number being on a sign) …it's been seven years since then…that would make me…69!

No, that can't be right…as usual my math has gone awry…I'm pretty sure that 69…for my age…is much too high.

Then I spied Jenny's pink birthday cake and from my calculating…took a break…
because it's impossible to work on a math problem…when staring at a cake.

(I'm not sure I remember it correctly…and it would probably incur my elementary school teacher's wrath…but I do believe what I just stated is one of the basic laws of math!)

My attention, instead, turned to Jenny and her family…I chose to watch them for a while…to relish in their moment…to enjoy the sweetness of her smile.

It seems to me…what gives a birthday its allure..its charm…its overall appeal…
Is the way it brings together not only how old we are…but….how young we feel.

Before I left I wished Jenny a happy birthday
and her smile made the whole room glow…
as for figuring out my age…since I'm not that interested in the math…
I guess I'll never know.