Birthdays

As some of you know, I recently celebrated another birthday.  A glorious thing since my oldest sister, Mericia, only celebrated 44 birthdays.  That's Mericia, our Mother and my oldest brother, Ilidio.  I know you can't tell but my sister had dark brown hair and the bluest eyes.  She was my first best friend and she named me.

Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of her
passing and yet I still miss her embrace.
Yes, I am getting older but inside, at times,
I can go back to old regrets and feel the
vulnerability of another time.

True, too, I am glad for all the love, joy
and pain that I have experienced
because I know its how I got to the me of today.

Here I am at about the age of 19 full of spark.  

Do I feel old?  How could I, when almost 

any song from the early 

days of AC/DC will take me to the age of 16.  

The Best of Bread takes me to a drive along the 

coast from Half Moon Bay to Pescadaro.  

When all I have to do is hear the right song 

and I am right there in my time machine. 

I could be driving up the hill to my high school 

campus with Van Halen's Ice Cream Man blaring. 

This song  takes me to a love note from long ago.

Spin to many years later and a

wedding day with Hot Chocolate.

Outside there is a body riddled with arthritis 

but inside, baby...I'm still as vibrant as ever 

with a whole lot more experience and confidence.

So to the fool who asked me if I felt OLD, 

here's to getting older. Cheers. ROAR..I don't have any

meows left in me.