Party Animals!

Birthday Month

J! U! L! Y!

Those four letters spell JULY!

We got birthday gals and birthday guys!

Everywhere we feast our eyes,

mounds of cake materialize!

J! U! L! Y!

Clap your claws with lion pride!

All you birthday gals and birthday guys,

find a secret spot to hide,

hit the lights, and yell, “SURPRISE!”

Stay Close

Every day we chase each other just to get us here

These precious nineteen days when the space between us clears

The final chorus sung as one before the turning of my year

Stay close to me, love

Stay close and stay true

Stay close to me, love

Stay close the whole year through

Stay close to me, love

And I will stay close to you

I feel myself drift farther even as our time collides

Let’s not spend the other days playing catchup with our strides

Age is just a number, anyway, if we feel the same inside

Stay close to me, love

Stay close and stay true

Stay close to me, love

Stay close the whole year through

Stay close to me, love

And I will stay close to you

Stay close to me, love

I promise to stay close to you

Breakfast

Grapes and cereal and milk.

Grapes and cereal and milk.

Those three things are okay, but not for today:

Grapes and cereal and milk.

Frosting, a candle, and cake.

Frosting, a candle, and cake.

These three things, a birthday breakfast make:

Frosting, a candle, and cake!

25 Years

(A Tribute)

I can’t close my eyes while I drive, that’d be absurd,

but I would pull over to be carried away on your words

Melodies fill the car, taking me farther and farther away from the place where we are

They rewind my relationships, hurts, and all the good times

over as many years as a quarter’s worth—two point five dimes,

and I’m full-on nostalgic as I sink into your rhymes

Without you, I wonder what my life might have become

Without you, I wonder what musical phrases that I might hum

Twenty-five years is a long time, especially when they’ve all been in song time

We’ve seen so much and I’ve known for you most of my life

You’ve been in my head more years than I’ve been a wife

You write songs that my children and I sing along to,

you give us a soundtrack to do all of our living to

So, Barenaked or clothed, I’ll always pack your CDs in my stack for the road

High Five Yourself

Hey, girl, high five yourself!

Girl, you slap like no one else.

Hey, girl, you know what’s what.

Girl, get down and throw your hands up!

High five yourself, you’re more than ready!

You are cooler than an Arctic Yeti.

Spoutin’ sparkles in the air and rainin’ down confetti,

you got more sauce than a bowl of spaghetti!

Hey, girl, high five yourself!

Girl, you slap like no one else.

Hey, girl, you’re a superstar.

Girl, pop ten, shout it out wherever you are!

High five yourself, don’t hesitate,

now’s the time to celebrate!

Take that party hat off the shelf,

do a dance, raise your hands, and high five yourself!