For three decades, Don Mathis has penned a birthday poem for his son. 
Charlie Mathis turns 32 on 1 February. Written with love, from Dad —

For Your Birthday

Back when you gave me
the Sponge Bob tie,
I didn’t wear ties.
But years later, I got a job
where ties were required
and I got so many compliments.
Did I ever say Thank You?

You gave me a cap
for my birthday years in a row.
I had so many caps.
But the old ones wore out
or were lost
until the Red Sox cap
became my favourite.
And the Spurs hat
is now worn on special occasions
and my old, old gimme caps
were given to the homeless
one by one.

And my cupboard is full
of coffee cups.
But you continued
to give me coffee cups
for souvenirs of places we visited,
for Father’s Day celebrations,
and Grandpa commemorations
and I always think of you
when drinking my tea.

I could never give you
a gift that would mean
as much to you
as much as the
gifts you’ve given me.

But I hope this poem
will make you smile for a while
for your birthday.

___

Image courtesy of Adobe.