Smashing the Cake

As people cheer, the birthday girl
Swipes fingers at the cake.
A glob of frosting coats her hand
But this is no mistake.

For after all the singing
And the candles have been blown,
The birthday baby gets a cake  
To smash that's hers alone.

It's part of a tradition
When a child is turning 1;
As chocolate's smeared on face and clothes,
We get to watch the fun.

The messy part's a memory
That phones will have preserved
And while somebody cleans her up,
The real cake's cut and served.

It's really quite adorable 
But what I cannot gauge
Is just how cute the child will find it,
At a later age.

On Hadley's First Birthday

Such a happy little girl,
Adorable as well;
Impossible to not succumb
To your enchanting spell.

You mimic every gesture,
Stare intently at my eyes
And when we’re playing peekaboo,
You giggle in surprise.

I love the way you wave bye-bye
And shake your finger, “No!”
Despite the fact you wish each crumb
Into your mouth could go.

You’re super speedy as you crawl
And soon enough, you’ll walk
And all those da-da na-na sounds
Will be replaced by talk.

Today, though, is your birthday.
We’ll all come to celebrate
And rejoice in all your progress
Every August on this date.

Child's Play

When a toy requires assembly,
There is danger up ahead
For it never will be easy - 
Doesn't matter what they said.

If instructions come in pictures,
Then this warning you can double,
'Cause deciphering them wrong
Will likely get you into trouble.

With three phone calls to the hotline,
We're still stuck on step eleven.
Anybody who can do this
Sure deserves a place in heaven.

The End of VHS

Our kids were young when VHS
Changed how we watched TV.
We popped a tape in when there was
A film we’d want to see.

We didn’t have to wait until
Our favorites would appear
Like in my youth, when “Oz” (the Wizard)
Came on once a year.

Of course, the tapes could break
And there were times when they got stuck.
Repairs just didn’t work and so
We just were out of luck.

When DVD’s came out, the tapes
Quite soon became passé,
Although our player and some tapes
Are still around today.

Just one remaining business
Manufactured the machines
But they’ve just fallen victim
To our modern tech routines.

Like dial-up phones and toasters,
Skates with keys and TV Guide,
The once-cool VHS tapes
In the past will now reside.

Making a Choice

When options are presented
And I have to make a choice,
The more I see, the less that my
Opinion I can voice.

For choosing A or B or C
Sets limits I’ll accept.
When there are more alternatives,
My certainty gets swept.

The smaller the selection,
That much quicker I’ll decide,
A rule of thumb that in all walks
Of life can be applied.

The Apple Store

For certain things I’m just too old –
The Apple Store is one.
As soon as I set foot inside,
I want to turn and run.

The counters where they make you stand,
(Why not a stool to sit?)
The questions that they ask
Which I can’t answer, not a whit.

The staff can barely tolerate
A dinosaur like me,
Losing patience when I can’t produce
My Apple Cloud ID.

They never solve my problems
So it’s anybody’s guess
Whey my Cloud account must linger
At my old email address.

My iPhone needs an upgrade –
That’s a fact I can embrace –
But I’ll buy it someplace where at least
I won’t feel out of place.

Being Ready

I need some new glasses,
An iPhone as well,
But Procrastinationville’s
Where I do dwell.

I’ve stopped at opticians
Plus AT&T,
Departing without
A commitment from me.

Since neither is urgent,
I let months pass by,
Convincing myself
That a purchase was nigh.

A bicycle, too,
Is up high on my list.
I Google the site
But each time I resist.

Except that today,
I felt ready at last.
I ordered new glasses;
My spouse was aghast.

I checked out the phone store;
My model is out
But the next time it’s in,
I will get it, no doubt.

And as for the bike
I am right on the verge
For today both desire
And timing did merge.

No matter how much I
Stay focused and steady,
I can’t complete anything
‘Til I am ready.