On your birthday!
by Hussein Habasch, KURDISTAN
On your birthday
it is not enough for me to give you one or two roses or a large bouquet of roses.
All the rose gardens on earth and in heaven are not enough for your high position!
On your birthday
It is not enough for me to give you a gift and that’s it.
I must create a smile, joy and laughter on your face and in your heart until the end of life, and not let sadness and pain sneak up on you even for a moment.
On your birthday
It is not enough for me to say “I love you, happy birthday”,
but I should make you forget every pain that you have ever experienced in your life and keep the tears away from your divine eyes forever.
On your birthday
It’s not enough for me to bring you a round cake and a few candles to celebrate
I should bring you the moon as a round cake and a galaxy of stars as candles to illuminate your birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVE!
Hussein Habasch’s poem “On Your Birthday!” is a lyrical celebration of love that transcends ordinary gestures, elevating the beloved to a near-celestial status. Rather than settling for conventional offerings, roses, gifts, or birthday cakes, the speaker imagines grand, almost mythical acts of devotion: offering all the rose gardens on earth and in heaven, replacing candles with stars, and baking the moon into a cake. Each stanza builds in intensity, revealing a love so deep that it seeks not only to bring joy but to erase every trace of sorrow from the beloved’s life. The poem reads like a vow, tender yet epic in scale, where love becomes a force of healing, light, and eternal celebration. With its rich metaphors and emotional resonance, Habasch’s poem moves beyond the occasion of a birthday, becoming a timeless ode to love’s transformative power.
