Feliz Cumpleanos

Today is my good friend Hannah's birthday. In her honor, I'm posting a holiday poem I wrote for her last December. December 7th, I think, to be more or less exact.

Happy Birthday Hannah!

*

Holiday Poem for Hannah

To be unfortunate as the bright quick one
drowning in Yeats,

in fortunate hair & puffy sweater
unfortunate monkey and parrot,

the Chronicles of Walter & Jennifer,
a novel to be made

in a smokeless bar that smells of cigars.
Bubbling up from Sligo, to be

Unfortunate in Cle Elum, un-
made as

someone’s favorite bed.

To think through seven whiskeys,
to maintain vigilance in the face
of December fog,

Pearl Harbor, John Lennon,
& forever kissing Amanda

(and who doesn’t want to do that?)

taking the quick taxi
sitting between favorite boys

echoes, this, my brain falling
askew, into a glass

the name a perfect palindrome,
here, there, someone whispers,

“you’re a lovely drunk.”