Birthday Wish

She stands beside the table with a glow upon her face,
eyes closed, breath drawn up within her breast.
Who knows the one wish on her heart?
Then opening her eyes, she liberates her breath,
and the room goes dark.
Other lights, less warm, begin to burn
as cheers ring ‘round the room.
Paraffin removed, blade inserted,
and slices of joy are given to every guest.
When the tines are laid to rest among the crumbs,
out come packages wrapped in pearlescent paper.
Her smile seems stuck upon her lips,
and no one seems to mind,
especially her.
Unwrapping reveals treasured tokens
of thoughtfulness.
The smallest one is saved for last,
and now its turn has come—
a dark red box.
The hinged lid creaks open,
and a hush hangs heavily on the air.
She stands beside the giver with a glow upon her face,
eyes wet, breath drawn up within her breast.
Then opening her arms, he captivates her breath,
and the room disappears.
He knows the one wish on her heart.
Next time they’ll cut the cake together.

Copyright © 2020 Abigail Gronway – All Rights Reserved
Free Verse

Today is the second day in a row that I did not receive a work assignment. Could it be that my temporary job is drawing to a close? Frankly, I hope so, though I will miss meeting people.

This morning I took advantage of the free time to write another poem. Opening the file of “seed thoughts,” I chose one at random and developed it. I hope you like it. And I think that very soon I’ll get back into the old rhythm of sharing two poems per week. Perhaps I’ll even be able to resume the Incremental Poetry series. I hope so. I hate leaving things unfinished.