I have a friend
whose birthday is September Twelfth
which became
for a certain amount of time
a pretty depressing fucking event.

She wanted
like all just Americans do
to celebrate her birthday
but found it a difficult matter
for a series of years.
Eventually
she reclaimed it
and was able to experience the day of her birth
with warmth, affection
and family
just like in olden days.

Please keep this in mind
as you celebrate your anniversaries
near election day
and all that it portends.
It gets better.
It has to.