(for Sue Lester, BFF birthday gal)

I cleaned off my desktop for you.
Not my actual desktop, though there
are two of those in my office.

The one I am sitting at is overfull
with all manner of stuff—
three skinny tubes of lip balm,
small sticky notes, two thumb drives,
three cough drops (wrapped),
several of my business cards
(in case I forgot who I am?),
an unreasonable number of pens,
the small pink fan (which I could
retire for winter) and my trusty
red, old-school, heavy metal
stapler. And a printer.

Among other things.

But because the iMac popped up
a reminder about your birthday,
and the universe provided
the perfect wallpaper photo
at the very same time
(what are the odds?),

I cleaned up the messy Mac desktop
so I could snap a screenshot
to show you how beloved you are
(in case I haven’t said so enough)—

you, the childhood BFF,
the third Haag sister (as Donna
and I are likewise the second
and third Lester sisters),

the marine zoologist Dick and I
adore, with whom (as we had earlier
—n the day of this photo) we love to
prowl beaches and peer into tidepools
as you point out sea creatures
with exotic names before returning
to your day job doctoring all manner
of kitty and doggy.

You, who also likely still
keeps a messy desk or two—
thank goodness, not just me—

you of the great, good heart,
you, our Sue-babe, HBD2U,
here’s to many, many more.