I celebrated my same birthday
until I was a teen
Everybody knows their birth date
Right?, you know what I mean

But I learned that isn’t so
Validation paperwork I must undergo
I applied for a driver’s permit
I was confused I have to admit

Application required request denied
I know my birthdate I screamed with pride
Fact remained,The wrong date of birth
I began to second guess my self worth

Send away for a certified birth certificate
Anticipate Many questions I accommodate
Answers I thought I knew, I must validate

Questions were rather suggestions
The answers left more questions
My birth date was off by 13 days
Emotionally I was in a haze

My brother calls on my pretend Birthday
With a PEDANTIC choice of words to say
It was a game he would play
At first he hurt my feeling
Sending me in a tizzy dealing
Then I realized he remembers to call  

Thinking back for a word,thought, phrase
A Flooding of memories My heart cried
We had many nannies after mommy died
To young to know, or ask, but I still tried

They said it was a tragedy
Where I stood it was a calamity
My father, a gentle man took a stand
He gave love with open arms and hands

Was my true birthday lost in confusion
Was this mix up a retribution
There was never a final conclusion
Only the correction resolution

I’ve learned not to live in hate and despair
I’ve learned to forgive ,love is in the air
We all have a reason for Being
Knowing without seeing

These life challenges are my test
I learned to take the good with the bad
Most importantly, to do my best