(un)Happy February 29th
I can’t wait for my birthday!
My birthday is March first.
It’s just a day away now,
just one more turn of earth.
I’ll have ice cream for my breakfast
in a silver sundae dish,
top it off with rainbow sprinkles
and a very special wish.
I’ll wear my favorite jammies
and I’ll make a snack of s’mores.
I’ll watch TV all morning
and I won’t do any chores.
I’ll play Minecraft for three hours,
then a round of laser tag.
I’ll stay up past my bedtime
and I’ll even skip my bath.
Tomorrow is my favorite day,
the only day that’s really mine.
Tomorrow is my birthday
and I’ve waited a long time.
But you’re looking at me strangely
like there’s something you need to say.
IS THIS THE YEAR I GET A PONY?!
You give the calendar a shake,
so I lean a little closer
and look harder at the date.
Today’s February 28th .
Tomorrow is—wait, WHAT?!
The 29th?!
That can’t be right.
This day’s the WORST.
Wake me when it’s finally March first.
My birthday is March first.
It’s just a day away now,
just one more turn of earth.
I’ll have ice cream for my breakfast
in a silver sundae dish,
top it off with rainbow sprinkles
and a very special wish.
I’ll wear my favorite jammies
and I’ll make a snack of s’mores.
I’ll watch TV all morning
and I won’t do any chores.
I’ll play Minecraft for three hours,
then a round of laser tag.
I’ll stay up past my bedtime
and I’ll even skip my bath.
Tomorrow is my favorite day,
the only day that’s really mine.
Tomorrow is my birthday
and I’ve waited a long time.
But you’re looking at me strangely
like there’s something you need to say.
IS THIS THE YEAR I GET A PONY?!
You give the calendar a shake,
so I lean a little closer
and look harder at the date.
Today’s February 28th .
Tomorrow is—wait, WHAT?!
The 29th?!
That can’t be right.
This day’s the WORST.
Wake me when it’s finally March first.
This poem is copyright (©) Tracie Renee 2024
About the Writer
Tracie Renee
Tracie is a poet and youth services librarian who lives, works, and dreams in suburban Chicago. A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, she’s won the Grand Prize in poetry from Outrider Press three times and appeared in Journal of Modern Poetry, The Awakenings Review, Mothers Always Write, and the award-winning anthology Stories of Music. This is her first kidlit publication (and hopefully not the last).