29 February Poem by Terence George Craddock

intrigue surrounds leap year days
missing three years in a row dismays
disappearing with regular frequencies

upon 20th year of age on your birthday only five celebrated
upon 20th birthday suddenly your 80 years of age this day
marry upon this day miss three anniversaries this day deleted

stranger still leap years divisible by 100 but not 400 disappears
1700,1800,1900 missed leap days before 2000 leap day reappears
2100,2200,2300 will again miss a leap day are not leap years

behold in famed Chinese calendar 29 February
appears only in the year of the dragon rat monkey
zodiac animals missing this day are not funky

a western calender person born on 29 February
may be called a 'leapling' or a 'leap-year baby'
I knew a leaping Lester who was kinda crazy

birthday problem arises in non-leap years
when can leaplings celebrate their birthdays
February 28 or March 1 or when law decrees?


Copyright © Terence George Craddock