My birthday cake was ready
save for a lonely lighted candle
No need for shrill smoke alarm this time
greeting a bonfire too hot to handle!

No, one candle would do nicely
if only one candle could be found
And when that simple plan fell through
my waxen face melted to a frown

My second son leaped and hastened to do
a singularly wonderful thing for me
My clever boy grabbed the cake from the table
'Turn off the lights NOW! ' his one plea

A moment passed mysteriously, 'til he
strode in singing 'Happy Birthday' slow
Not one single candle lit on my cake - -
but the one in my heart was aglow

Maybe you need to know Me-hee
maybe you need to know Him-sy - -
But NOTHING could have made me happier
than my smiling boy's act of Whimsy! ! !


~ Thanks, Elisha, for making my first unlit cake the most memorable ever! ~


(3.17/18.06)

Esther Leclerc

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-perfect-candle/