Happy Birthday

by LadyBug

Published May 27, 2020

E - Everyone

I think it’s better this way.

‘Cause I’m mature, above it

But today is your birthday,

I’ll pretend I’ve forgotten.

***

I’m not led by resentment

Even though you forgot mine,

Our fights and your bitterness

Play no part, I just have pride.

***

Tomorrow you will text me,

And I’ll just leave you on read.

You'll say, “It was my birthday.”

But I swear I didn’t care.

***

I’m so much better than you,

I’m not passive aggressive.

I have better things to do,

And so many other friends.

***

I mean, it’s not that petty.

I have many reasons why…

I’m not throwing confetti,

I bet I’m making you cry.

***

I hope you hurt like I did,

I think I’m so childish.

I was feeling nostalgic.

I doubt you’ll even notice.

***

Happy Birthday, I’ll never say it to your face.

Comments & reviews · 7
User avatar
Vaibhav
Review
Vaibhav wrote a review Review · Jun 4, 2020

Hey there!.
I just happen to come across it and you have elaborated a idea into a great structure. Conversely, I might add that in a lyrical rhythm has to be added as in use of same tone after every next sentence or use of same sounding words in consecutive sentences.
You seem to have made every statement An assertive by using I at the beginning. It would have been a lot better if the statements were ended in rhythm

LadyBug replied · Jun 4, 2020

Hi, thank you for the review. I intended for the poem to have a lot of I's at the beginning and a pretty monotone vibe, but I'll take your advice

User avatar
Scribbler20
Review
Scribbler20 wrote a review Review · May 29, 2020

Hey LadyVendetta! This is Scribbler here and to be honest, I’m new here. So, don’t mind if my review sounds bit lousy.
First of all, this is a great piece and I can very easily relate with the speaker here. I have been through such times, though not birthdays to speak strictly. But I had felt the same resentment with some of my friends not treating me the way I treat or love them. It really was a self-torture, to keep thinking about how they never care for you and how I try to disguise all my hurt pride by pretending that I don’t give a damn about them and that I’m enjoying my life just the same.
The second thing I love about this poem, is how you have very beautifully brought out the real emotion lying beneath the speaker by constantly making her to deny all of it. The speaker constantly denying that she didn’t care, that she does not resent actually amplifies her deep held emotions and makes it more conspicuous. I don’t know if it is what you actually intended, but that’s how it felt when I read it first. Correct me, if had misunderstood or confused it with my own personal experiences and feelings that I felt during such times.
As far as other technicalities of this piece are concerned, I don’t think there are any worth mentioning. I like emotional poems to be raw just like this, any other poetry devices and technicalities would make it sound forced and spoil the whole.
Hope to read more of your works

Thank you so much, and,yes, I did intend to creative those vibes without making it super obvious.

GirlWithATypewriter wrote a review Review · May 29, 2020

Hi LadyVendetta! It's GirlWithATypeWriter here for a review.
I loved this poem. I related to it on so many levels, it was uncanny. I had a friend of 6 years and we were always going on and off and it was always a tough time when we had one of our fights around someone's birthday. It'd be hard because we wouldn't want to wish the other because of extreme pride but somehow later in the night she'd budge and wish me. I think we somehow always kept coming back to each other because our feelings were quite intense but after we left school we broke off in a really hard way. And when his birthday came around it was so hard because I wanted to wish him but I wouldn't because...well as you said childish pride or I just thought he wouldn't notice. The next day she texted me and just said, "Wow."
And I felt terrible because I could understand the hurt behind it and yeah we just left things off in a very bad place.
I'm guessing you wrote this off a personal experience and if yes see if you can fix your relationship. :)
As for the technicalities of the poem, I didn't find any issues with it and well, I'm still a little stunned by the similarities in the story.
I think it's great how you took a topic that might seem trivial to others but often means more than one realizes and turned into such a well-written piece. It resonates well with your skills as a writer.
Hope to see more from you, keep writing!
XOXO

Thank you so much!

User avatar
Icon
Review
Icon wrote a review Review · May 28, 2020

My birthday's in three days and, not gonna lie, I'm feeling a little attacked XD

Jokes aside, this was a phenomenal poem! You did a wonderful job of portraying emotions and the general feeling of saltiness, for lack of a better word. It gives a baseline on the situation, but leaves certain aspects up to the interpretation of the reader. I don't have any particularly negative critiques to make, so kudos to you :smt003

-Icon

Thank you so much!

User avatar
soup Comment
soup commented Comment · May 28, 2020

i loved this.

Thank you!

User avatar
diphylleia
Review
diphylleia wrote a review Review · May 27, 2020

Hi
I felt so much feelings when I finished the reading of your poem: sadness, nostalgia, sorry, and others that I don't know how to describe them. How pretty is to have a friend like you !
But darling, you should not let the pride kill your friendship. I see that it's so special.
Your words are heaven. I loved every line, every single thing that you shared with us. I really envy this friend to have you !
Be carefull to yourselves ! I will wait your next writing with big patience ! See yaa

Thank you so much!

User avatar
Queenie
Review
Queenie wrote a review Review · May 27, 2020

Hi LadyVendetta!
I really loved this poem. It has a lot of raw emotion in it that you conveyed really well. I can feel her hurt through each word. It's such an interesting poem because it's not a really common feeling on someone;'s birthday. But I like how it reveals a toxic friendship and how the speaker is talking about how her friend's actions made her feel on her birthday and how that hurt her and made her realize that they have an unhealthy friendship and it's best if it just stays in the past and she moves on. It's also interesting how her pain makes her want revenge to make that girl feel the pain that she felt. I really don't have any critiques to make, it was very well written and well done. I love all the emotions and hope you keep writing stuff like this. Good luck with your future works and I can't wait to read them.

Thank you, Queenie!



The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us.
— Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451