To Karen on her Birthday
1996

There are ways of having
Birthdays
And not getting any
Older.
Tell me your
Secret.

There are girls who
Only change with the seasons
And not the
Years.
Tell me your
Secret.

You bought a book
On ageing
Gracefully
You
Could have written
That book.
Tell me your
Secret.

It's very hard to acquire the
Wisdom
And not also receive
Scars from the
Weathering of the
Years.
Tell me your
Secret.

You have retained your
Childlike freshness
From your past
And you have not been
Touched
By the bitterness
Endemic in our
Generation.
Tell me your
Secret.

You came relatively recently into a
Love
And you have made it
Grow.
Tell me your
Secret.

And tell me,
Dear Karen,
How
I got so
Lucky?

Love Forever,
Doug

All material ©1997 by Doug Franklin
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