Angel’s first birthday,

My excited daughters decorate the terrace,

with crude hand-made posters and scraps of paper,

and a colorful paper cake painted with care.

They hand out tiny invitations

‘Be ready – it is going to be awesome!’

They spend hours preparing for their make-believe party,

A couple of jubilant, chattering monkeys!

6 o’ clock – IT’S PARTY TIME!

Two tiny girls drag every member

old and young to the top,

They all come – all of them,

and everyone cheers when the girls blow the candle,

Enthusiastic claps follow along with a joyful singing of the ‘Happy Birthday’ song,

Then they all pretend to gobble the pretend cake,

And give Angel a kiss, gently passing her around,

Just for seeing the girls’ faces light up,

who are now giggling and trying to act in charge,

We even play games, ‘It’s a party after all!’

and then, comes my favorite part.

Angel, a palm sized pink stuffed toy,

Sits in the center while eleven adults dance around her,

No cynics, no eye-rolls, no ‘lets get this over with,’ remarks,

Just a lot of warmth and love galore.

This is family.