by Rosie Gardener
99 candles on a big cake
and 21 on a smaller one
mellow chuckles of an old hobbit
and silvery ones of a young lad.
111 candles on a big cake
and 33 on a second of the same size
a brown and a grey curly head
and a party to remember.
50 candles on a solitary cake
cousins and friends celebrating
a whiff of valediction in the air
and an inkling of adventures to come.
53 candles on a shapely cake
four close friends clinking glasses
telling tales of bravery and sorrow
but only to themselves.
2 candles in a round window
a brown-grey curly head above them
looking out of wistful eyes
for the ones who have left so long ago.