birthday
I’ve arrived at an age
when birthdays are
kept hidden
the way a woman I once knew
hid her failed fallen cakes
under the bed
nibbling from them
at night
in shame and silence
I celebrated
just the same
beside a lake
that would vanish
in the summer
drunk by a greedy sun
both the lake and I know
our days are numbered
but today dogs race
through the water
yelping with joy
*
Eva Eliav received an honours BA in English Language and Literature from The University of Toronto. The child of holocaust survivors, she grew up in Canada and now lives in Israel. Her poetry and short fiction have appeared in numerous journals, online and in print. She has published two poetry chapbooks: Eve (Red Bird Chapbooks, 2019) and One Summer Day (Kelsay Books, 2021).
That cake under the bed metaphor–oh, so just right somehow. And then that final image so full of play and wild joy–the turns in this poem are so satisfying. thank you.
Thank you, Rosemerry. So happy the poem resonated!