Listen my friends and you shall peruse
A birthday poemic for Julie Zickefoose.
She's turning today an indeterminate age
so we'll honor her with pictures and words on this page.
She's an artist of birds, and of flowers, and of bats
She's a birding savant not afraid to wear hats
She can write words that move any reader to tears
she's been blogging like blazes for more than eight years.
It may appear odd, but I feel I should mention
She can never pass by without sniffing rose gentian
For those who don't know, a gentian's a flower
and as an aside, Julie lives in a tower
The view from that tower is something spectacular
or "ossum" in southeast Ohio's vernacular
We've been blessed with two children, Liam and Phoebe
And a Boston terrier who's saying "Hey! What about me-be?"
Of course you're our third kid, Chet Baker, don't fret
Your kisses and gasses won't let us forget
* * * *
* * * *
Julie loves music from her head to her toes
She loves rocking out with her band The Rain Crows
As a singer/songwriter Julie's mind is quite fertile
Her most famous tune concerns saving box turtles
At a recent band gig where there might have been ale
The Rain Crows were thrown in the Fayette County Jail
Soon the Crows were set free before facing the noose
When the judge recognized the famous Ms. Zickefoose
"OMG!" Said His Honor "I so totally loved...
that story where you glued down the scalp of a dove!"
Last winter we spent nearly 400 hours
Building a sanctum for all of Zick's flowers
That's less time than we spent in building our OWN house
which is why we refer to this greenhouse as GROANhouse
But when the snow flies and the weather is crappy
inside the groanhouse The Zick is quite happy
Her happiness is dog, iphone and wine, oh!
But she's happier, still, when she's scratching a rhino!
* * * *
When she talks, people listen with enraptured attention
She kneels before butterflies, devoid of pretension
She has fans who will travel long distance to see her
And so many of us still aspire to BE her.
Way back in the 90's when I first met this girl
I had no idea how my life would unfurl
Then we moved to Ohio and 20 years on
It's hard to believe just how fast the time's gone
So to you my dear Julie here's this long birthday verse
After reading it I hope you feel better, not worse.
Too many things in this life we can't choose
But I'm pleased to be known as Mister Zickefoose.
I think of how many lives you have touched
and it's easy to see why I love you so much.
Happy birthday, Zick!