Today was my birthday.

We picnicked at our beloved lake,
My daughter, wife and I.
On our way back home, I noticed
Our car’s orange warning light.
It said, “Service due.”

And I thought:

Today is my service day.

I’ll change my moral oil,
Replace my mental filters
Refill the washer fluid
For the windshield of my mind,
So I can see the world afresh
Through a clean and sparkling heart.

I’ll grease my brakes so I can stop
With grace
And look back one more time
At things that I have left behind
Before they vanish
In my rear-view mirror
Or overtake and pass me by forever.

I’ll repair the curb rashes
Of the year that is past
And recommit to drive with love
My wife, my daughter,
My fellow passengers for life.

I’ll be my own mechanic of self
Until my body runs and runs
And runs out of gas
And mortal oil
And shudders
And sputters
And stops.