This is a poem I wrote recently to celebrate the birthday of Mrs. Tracy Buys. Saying that, I think it is true enough for all, whether looking back on bring 30 or still looking forward to it…

It’s time to say goodbye to your twenties.
There’s no need to shed a tear.
Although it was such a happy decade,
A happier one is here.

You’re still young enough to boogie all night,
And enjoy a drink or two.
But you’re old enough to know when to stop,
Though that won’t be stopping you.

There are very many good years ahead.
Just take a look at the stats,
You’ve 64% of life to go,
And possibly more than that.

They sometimes say “life begins at 40”.
By that proverb’s reckoning,
You’ve another ten years to please yourself,
Before life really begins.

Medical texts say women at 30,
Often become randier.
That’s good news for ladies, but for the men,
The plus points are handier.

If you want to exercise discretion;
Deny the passing of time,
Then simply pretend that you’re 25,
Until you reach 39!

Be happy that you’ve reached the big 3-oh,
You won’t fall into ruin.
When you still run amok, once in a while,
You’ll know just what you’re doing…

The ruba’i is a poetic form of olden times,
Lines 1, 2 & 4 must rhyme,
Popular in Persia in the 11th Century,
Most famously by Omar Khayyam.

Choosing to twitter or to tweet,
Is a thoroughly modern conceit,
You tell your friends what you are doing,
In only 140 characters, complete.

The ruba’i was liberating -
Poets excused from conventions so grating.
Before, every single line had to rhyme,
Which proved very irritating.

Twittering is freedom of a sort,
Sharing knowledge of no import.
You follow what twitterers are up to,
Without giving it a second’s thought.

How about twitter and ruba’i combined?
Poetic trivia you might find.
Writing them with exactly 140 characters,
May prove to be quite a bind.

With ruba’i 140 characters long,
It is easy to get the numbers wrong.
A carriage return after every line,
Except, that is, for the last one.

The plural of ruba’i is rubaiyat.
You should also know that,
I wrote a series just for twitter,
They are as much use as the rest of the tat.

The 140 rubiyat I named my composition,
But twittering is not my decision.
Tweets will be made by my blogs,
Which does mean some repetition.

My twitter username is web2wit,
Though I doubt I will ever get into it.
Very much like my chosen label,
Twitter might be fun or just stupid.

No more 140 character ruba’i for a while;
A charming but difficult style.
Lyrical ditties with strict limits;
My goal is to provoke a smile.