We didn’t know then that these were times in our lives when we were fully alive.
Panama’s birthday a few days ago had me thinking of the birthday parties of my childhood in Panama when primas, primos, tías, and tíos were the cast of characters in my life. So I spent the afternoon searching for that one gorgeous photo of my little brother’s birthday party in the carport of tía Connie and tío Stanley’s house. I found it and here it is! It inspired me to write a birthday poem. These are my memories and my cousins’ memories.
Come play with me.
Birthday Poem:
We were
cowboys
baseballers
and ballerinas
I remember a burro with a Mexican haT
his belly F U L L of treasures
Fathers stood guard by the broomSTICK
so no kids got their heads
knocked off
Maids raced
to G R A B candies
for their younger charges
when the belly B U R S T
two-in-a-box
Adams Chiclets and
Lily hard candy
wrapped in
cellophane
It was always too hot
We were frightened of the CLOWN
if we were old enough we’d hide our fear
If we were little we’d run
to sTand by the skirt of an adult.
We sucked on amber sugar babies in the shape
of a horse
or a soldier
Earlier that week we watched tía Mimí pour the
boiling
molten sugar
into the cast iron molds
We stumbled blindfolded
with a pin
on a tail
direction wrong the in
My usual was
one
two
three
Nehi grape sodas
My tongue was painted PURPle for days
Musical chairs allowed us to be wild
slamming
into chairs
when the music
STOPPED.
We sang the birthday song
to tía Lois’ p l a n c h a cake
with 7-minute icing
We took home a piece of cake for our
younger siblings
that never made it
home.
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