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Mark Rico's avatar

"Look at this—

the back of my hand."

Nothing says "I've seen it all" quite like that spare snippet. Well crafted. May you keep seeing with new eyes and desiring everything, to find it in blossom.

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thank you, Mark.

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Angela Cummings's avatar

Happy Birthday, Fellow Aquarian. ♒️ Thank you for alerting me to the David Lynch meditation today. He will be missed.

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thank you, Angela, and the same to you, whenever it lands. His book "Catching the Big Fish" is gold.

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Ann's avatar

Thanks. Needed that grandmother's hand perspective. Perfection. And a very Happy Birthday to you.

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thank you, Ann.

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Celeste's avatar

Happy birthday, XP!! Only you could have come up with such a creative use of the back of my aging hand. Love it!

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thank you, Celeste.

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Kim Nelson's avatar

Happy Birthday X.P.!

On we go

Doing what we know

Is right

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thank you, Kim.

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Janie Braverman's avatar

"the back of my hand ..."

"Rivers running blue"

Celebrating your birthday and the birthday of another writer friend.

You. An air sign on the cusp. My son, an air sign (Gemini) also on the cusp.

A long time ago, so-glad-to-see-him-in-the-rearview-mirror Aquarian used to call it the airhead sign. Funny, perhaps, but definitely NOT true of you. Or my friend in Tucson. Or my son.

My mileage is definitely varying from yours.

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thank you, Janie. Regarding our mileage and its variance, I would expect nothing different, and nothing less. I am watching the inaugural address. Biden just pardoned half his family, and Trump just promised to go to Mars. God help us all.

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Janie Braverman's avatar

Today is a day of reading and writing and crosswords puzzles.

Later, the reading will include the NYTimes ... or at least the headlines.

Mars? If he were JFK, he's be standing outside, without an overcoat.

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

NY Times for the puzzles. And the ccoking app.

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Janie Braverman's avatar

Always! Our mileage is aligning, at least a bit.

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

I may not always follow the tire tracks of your mileage but will fight to the death for your right to log it.

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Janie Braverman's avatar

Likewise, my friend

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Joline Pelletier's avatar

Reluctantly I am an air sign too. Often need to be grounded and get back to work, what was I doing? (Working on this in my golden years.)

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Victoria Nordgren's avatar

The back of the hand becomes more and more like a diagram of a wetland and its tributaries as we age and our wisdom rises like the veins of the hand. Happy Birthday X.P.!

This is a small bit from Louise Glück’s “Tributaries” which might serve on this day for our nation:

“They’ve been exiled by the world of hope,

which is the world of action,

but the world of thought hasn’t as yet opened to them.”

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thank you, Victoria.

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LeeAnn Pickrell's avatar

Wonderful poem and perspective and who better to honor than David Lynch today.

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thanks, LeeAnn. Today, like you, I’m writing and revising. Nothing better!

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LeeAnn Pickrell's avatar

Indeed and happy birthday!

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Cathy Wickham's avatar

This is beautiful!

and Happy Birthday dear XP!!!!! I am so glad that you were born!

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thank you, Cathy, and likewise.

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Mary Holscher's avatar

Happy Birthday! May this year continue to bring wonderful poems and reflections, much love, good health and many moments of beauty and delight. Thank you for your many gifts to me this past year and over the years! I’ve never quite put the obvious together before this year and realized that you share your birthday every four years with inauguration day. I love knowing you share your birthday with David Lynch. I’m sorry that I’m reading this at almost 2 PM so missed the noon meditation. I love your poem and the photograph…both move me immensely. And I smile to read your comment about “must see” TV.

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thanks, Mary. Meditation is timeless, so you can probably join in on your own schedule.

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Laura Pilnick's avatar

Lovely

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Carole Roseland's avatar

Happy Birthday, XP! As Spock would say,”live long and prosper!” Thank you for all of your unique and innovative poems and for educating us on poetry forms—as a relative neophyte to writing anything but boring technical reports, reading your work on Substack has been a treat! As for wrinkles, age spots and bulging veins we are all going to get (or already have), every one signifies one of your accomplishments. May you display them as a badge of honor!

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thanks very much, Carole. Live long and prosper yourself!

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Lisa Jensen's avatar

Stunning, just stunning. And happy birthday!

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thanks so much, Lisa. ❤️

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Glenn Ingersoll's avatar

My age spot had kids.

Good poem.

Like the wife, I could not subject myself to the Trump show — it will go on and on and on, though, and we won’t be able to avoid it.

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Heh. Thanks, Glenn. Yes, the show will go on, improbably renewed for another season. If we can't turn it off, we can keep the volume low and go outside with the birds and the trees and meet friends along the way.

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Fotini Masika's avatar

Happy Birthday! May your rivers overflow with poems such as this one.

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thank you very much. ❤️

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Rosa Lía Gilbert's avatar

Happy birthday X.P.! Beautiful poem.

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Thank you, Rosa. Looking forward to returning to your beautiful poem.

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