The Birthday Present

I know that I'm ageless and my soul is eternal
I have lived a thousand lives and will live many more
On Monday - my birthday - looks like I'll probably make it
To forty-eight - that's not that old, though it's not twenty four

I know that this thinning grey hair is a sign of wisdom
This sagging skin and these loose teeth proof I have been around
On my birthday we will recall that day back in the 40's
When I was born bald with no teeth and weighed just a few pounds

I know that in merely two years I'll be hitting fifty
That ripe young age, that halfway point when life really begins
But on Monday let's celebrate neither the past nor future
But the present - here I am...in the shape I'm in!