Seize the Day

                Come one, come all!  Explore the depths of living life to its fullest.  In his poem, “A Birthday Poem,” Ted Kooser references light and nature to convey a theme of growth and progress throughout one’s lifetime.  As each birthday passes, Kooser insists that we must pursue opportunities that are, “waiting for someone to come.”  Like the break of dawn at the start of a new day, we begin our lives with a spectacular future ahead.  As we grow in age, we develop into the people we are destined to be.  Kooser describes the importance of appreciating life by, “feasting on every green moment.”  Kooser personifies the darkness by suggesting that is “calls” to us and suggests that the trees, or opportunities, are “waiting” for someone to come to them.  As our life comes to a close, like the end of the day, we walk into the darkness with the hopes of being remembered.  Kooser’s simple style encourages the reader to appreciate the simple memories acquired throughout our life’s course.  Have you truly lived life to its fullest?  Do you feel you have struggled to find the key to happiness and solitude?  Welcome, my friend!  You have come to right place.