The people of Ethiopia glory in
a calendar that’s not Gregorian.
With 12 months of 30 days and one of five
it makes you think you could connive
to invent a calendar yourself
that would be better for your health.
So May and June would last 12 weeks
and when the year’s due one of those leaps
it would be in June, the extra day
not February when you don’t want that month to stay
any longer than is necessary –
the same it must be said, of January
10 days each would do for them.
November and March we could condemn
to the same decrease in days
and send Ethiopia all bouquets
and thanks and messages of praise
for their inspiration of our conniving
to have a fresh dawn now arriving.
Our calendar new, unique, would smash it,
forget Pope Gregory, for he is past it.
Rosie Cantrell 2024
From the National Poetry Day 2024 collection