Birthday Flames

She studies the tiny flames,
Hushed by the weight of her birthday candles
(It must be killing the cake).
She dreads what lies ahead, her mind
Filled with childhood shames -
The need to blow them all out with one breath
To save face.

But there are so many now -
One for every wasted year
That she spent growing older
And dreaming of doing other things;
She's surrounded by the wreckage
Of the promises she once made herself
Never to end up like this,

And her friends, oblivious of the
Whirlpool of misery inside her head,
Wait for her to blow the flames out.

But there is an extended pause
Between the end of the song
And the drawing of breath;
A pause as the birthday girl
Gathers her strength.