Maddie's Birthday

Once upon a time
Ten years past, to be precise
An Angel and a Monkey
joined in a slice of life

The baby's mother gifted Angel genes
which means...I'll take the Fifth on Mendel's beans
but the union worked our perfectly
in Angel Monkey harmony

Her presence always now and here
primate alert in celestial air
a charmed soul stuffed into mortal coil
with a love of bananas peeled and soiled

Ten years have gone, safe and irrevocable
Angel and Monkey struggle like any couple
still a child, a unique individual
a balance of forces, a mingling of voices

Sometimes the Monkey part takes over
leaping with michief and with fun
Sometimes the Angel descends in our midst
pensive or beaming like the sun

Sometimes, oh beautiful sometimes
neither Angel nor Monkey is winning
the body and spirit unite to make one
It's pure Maddie, like at the beginning

The Angel glimmers out of sharpening eyes
The Monkey stretches her limbs
The Angel climbs trees 'till she touches the skies
The Monkey finds grace when she swims

Happy Birthday, Ten year old Angel Monkey

***

I know Maddie would have preferred more of a ditty like Molly's poem, but that's not what came out. C'est la Muse.

Check out the photos to see a little bit of what went on - http://homepage.mac.com/kmleonard/Maddie's%20Birthday/index.html.

The day started with a celebration in the play room and a few gifts. The girls had been warned not to disturb anyone until 7:30am. Maddie went next door to visit our neighbor friend Mahareg, who said she had been out waiting since 6:00am. You can see Mahareg (13) and her sister Mahadi (20) early on giving Maddie the beautiful golden gown. Mahareg joined us for the rest of the day's activities. At noon we picked up another friend Helen, who used to be a neighbor but moved a ways up Bole recently. 9 of us in the Corrolla hatch back went to the Sheraton for a beautiful buffet lunch.

I dropped out of the trip to the Boston Day Span where miscellaneous jacuzzi, massage, haircuts, pedicures, and were enjoyed and hair straightening procedures were endured. That turned out for the best because I fell ill in the afternoon to such an extent that I had to miss the dinner at our favorite traditional restaurant, Agelgil. Many of the children looked too tired to go to dinner, but all rallied and enjoyed themselves. John had brought Maddie a cake which they took to the restaurant. It was served to them and the singer even sang Happy Birthday to Maddie in English and Amharic.