Friday Freebies: It’s a Birthday

Well the birthday is not actually today but it is being celebrated today at the university where the university library is named in his honor.  His birthday is tomorrow, March 2.  But hey, it’s Friday, party time and I am sure he would not mind.  He most probably would have loved it today, being surrounded by young folks, many of whom must have grown up reading his books and the wonderful world he created and left behind for young, creative minds.

My, my!  I have not yet told you whose birthday is being celebrated.  It’s Dr.  Theodor Geisel aka Dr. Seuss.  You may be wondering what this old geezer has to do with Dr. Seuss’ birthday.  I must confess that till I became a father and that too till after I started reading books to my son, I did not have any idea who Dr. Seuss was.  Most probably if I would have been in India, I would still be mostly ignorant about him.  But after three kids, with one of them graduated from University of San Diego and one currently a junior there, I have had many close encounters with Dr. Seuss. No, not with the great man himself but with his writings, books and the marvelous collection of his manuscripts, arts and other memorabilia at Geisel Library in University of California- San Diego.

But why suddenly am I writing about Dr. Seuss’ birthday?  Ah, that’s another story.  The weather here had been gray and gloomy since morning.  Not in a mood of writing anything, I was just surfing the internet when a Whatsapp video message popped up on my computer screen.  It was from my daughter and she had sent it out with a caption that it was Dr. Seuss’ birthday.  The wheels started turning in my brain and I responded back to her with a Seussian poem.  Is Seussian really a word or did I just invent it.  I am sure the good doctor won’t mind even if it was not an word.  After all I learnt about non-words from his books.  So without much ado here is the poem.  Happy birthday Dr. Seuss.

It’s a Cake, Not a Fake

Big cake
That Dr. Seuss
Did not bake
But I can assure you
It was not a fake
The Cat in the Red Hat
Chased the Grinch
Party was on track
Till the Grinch slipped
And slid into the cake
Out came POTUS
Shouting
It’s all fake
Everyone else was crying
Cake did break
Did anyone see
The Cat
Eating a piece of cake
Now can you
Really eat a cake
That is fake
Maybe it’s all
In my head
But what a good story
It did make