Contributor Series 11: On Birthdays
Birthday Blues
By Aarushi Vyas

I can’t escape
They are all around me
Wolves in sheep’s skins
These friendly enemies

Their disguise is a hunter’s trap
As well as their pleasing smile
Waiting for me to fall
Into their sugar coated lies

I am taking no chances
This is my world war three
I need to thoroughly plan
To deal with the hordes of b’day thieves

I think I’ll hide in the basement
With the phone and laptop offline
A crate of sodas and my favorite fries
And watch some old DVDs back to back

All I want
Is the special day to myself
And to not waste my energies
Answering those stupid wishes
From my so-called friends
Determined to burn a hole in my pocket

Aarushi Vyas’ most recent poem to appear here was How can I say (May 2012).