Wednesday, September 3: Describe your best birthday party.

When I was a girl,

There was nothing I loved more than a sleepover.

Every year I made my list

Of all the nice

Girls, and the

Not-so-nice but maybe they'll come

Girls, and the

If-they-come-I'll-be-more-popular

Girls.

And every year I passed out invitations and

Held my breath until

School let out and June passed and

July fifth rolled around

And my day was here.

I'm old enough that I remember them all the same—

Pizza dinner,

Tents outside, or rows of sleeping bags in the empty living room,

No sleep,

But silly stories, and ghost stories,

And even more gossip than pizza,

And finally sleep, but not too long,

Because morning light meant,

Birthday waffles with Breyer's mint chip ice cream.