Happy Birthday To Me

It's hard to say How I came to this day The chance of my birth's selection Tending to fall close to elections Four years ago, on my birthday, I lost some hope Because she lost, although winning more votes But now the process of democracy revived my faith The best gift I could ask this November eighth The me in my twenties would not have been fair To this middle aged woman with extra weight and gray hair She would have judged me a sad cliche Hot tea and online poetry - old maid's play Cooking shows and documentaries - what a bore! She thought more about unrequited love's score She despised football as a brutal, blood stained tower Now I see it as chess with muscle, a ballet of power It's true, I have now what I didn't before A ring, a house, a family to care for A long way from the single who burned TV dinners A lot less cynical (though I wouldn't mind being thinner) So to all you 'old maids' of sonnet and haiku Welcome me! I'm one of you! 11/08/20