My beloved birthday lady

My beloved birthday lady,

I have to ask again what face of the sun were you born under? Surely it's the most glowing one, the source of your warmth, or maybe it was the moon; you have a special glow.

But what are your favorite memories? I've always wanted to know that. All the artifacts of happiness displayed in the gallery of your life, the things that shaped you, excitements you want to relive. Maybe you've shared some, but I want to listen to them again, recollect them in my head, for the second time, for the third time, the tenth time. I promise I will never get bored, it's practically impossible to get bored when you are the one who narrates. I know there are some that you are keeping from me. I yearn for the night you reveal your mystics, for me to enjoy another conversation. Giggling about your past with your little frog smile. Then I want to hear your songs and stories, I have quite a vivid imagination, I draw the shapes, and you give them color, I create the actors, and you give them soul. We daydream endlessly.

When you read this, it will be your birthday. mid-twenties are a strange time. For many, they're shaped by the expectations society places on us. But the biggest pressure often comes from within. I think you demand yourself to watch Before Sunset too much. I can't do that monthly! My tears are limited for when I miss you, like now! so we need to find a new favorite movie to get cozy to... Now in front of you are the hazards of real life, you juggle new conflicts every week, but never sacrifice your vision. You carry more insights than me, but I think no one is ever truly ready for what the world throws at us. When you lose your drive or feel trapped by physical limits or sink into uncertainty, remember to give me the chance to be the hand pushing your shoulder, the stairs for your legs to elevate, and the eyes guarding your back. You can dream endlessly.

I haven't counted how long I've known you, month of love blurred my sight, it feels like a long time, over a hundred days, and I pray for a hundred more years, and wish for it to feel like the first week, when you are still a myth, a freshly unwrapped book with alluring covers, first pages filled with curiosities, locked eyes, and clenching doubts. In the middle, waves of contemplations, heartbeats pushing bones, and manifesting dreams. Many chapters have yet to be written, but I hope it's a long book, 1000 pages, 10,000 pages, a million. Someday in the future I'll be an artifact that belongs in the main hall of your gallery.

Lastly, my Dear, it's your birthday, here are my wishes for you: I wish you immense strength for all the coming years. I wish you to accomplish the necessary steps before 25. I wish you to grow into an exquisitely smart woman. I wish you a billion wealth, superhuman health, a heart pulsing until you are content, legs walking as far as you desire. I wish your eyes a window for marvelous tales, I wish your ears good music and the truth. I wish delicate food for your tummy, warm kisses for your lips, loyal friends to hold your arms, I wish elegance in your dress, daylight for the lady that you are, I wish wisdom protecting your mind, I wish you abundance of confidence because it's what makes you the prettiest, I wish you joy because your laugh is my joy, I wish you grace even when you're angry, and hugs when you cry. I wish you to find the one true love like your mom and dad, I wish to be that man. I wish to write more for you, and you to sing more for me. I wish your dreams and daydreams come true.

yours forever, Hamudi