Four Birthdays

I just spent this past weekend in Santa Barbara with side trips to Los Olivos and Ojai with my sister, sister-in-law, and my sister-in-law's cousin celebrating each of our milestone birthdays. The weather was gorgeous, the accommodations right on the Santa Barbara coast were comfortable and luxurious, and of course the food and wine very plentiful. And, as with most of my activities, here's my commemorative poem.

Four Birthdays

Four aging women
gather together
to celebrate their special birthdays.
One is 60 (the baby), one 65,
and two reach 70
within this calendar year.
Welcomed for the weekend
at Susie’s beach house
along Shoreline Drive
in Santa Barbara,
they eat Argentinean empanadas,
Greek tzatziki and feta, and
southwestern chili and
taste wine in the hills
above Los Olivos,
along the famed Sideways route.
As Chris with the gray beard
and long blonde hair
who poured in the film
pours for them
they critique pinots,
sauvignon blancs, chardonnays,
merlots and syras
as smooth and fruity,
strong, tobacco-y, and spicy or
not worth even a sip.
After all that food and wine
these old girls
can’t help dozing through
the ceremony opening
the winter Olympic games
in Vancouver, Canada, 2010.