58

today i turn 58. which has nothing to do with lilacs. except that i was born in may, and may is the month of lilacs. i suppose my mom smelled lilacs while she was nursing me. which means i must have smelled them too, in whatever way a newborn can smell. now she bakes me a strawberry rhubarb pie every year, which is the spring arrival i have typically associated with my birthday. but now i’m thinking i may not have given lilacs their due.

lilacs (syringa)