Let's make this birthday one to remember.

81 years old (Born on August 14, 1943)

Happy birthday, Alfred! For someone whose pen crafted Notes from a Child of Paradise and sparked minds through A Call in the Midst of the Crowd, it's remarkable you still have enough creative energy left to blow out all those candles. Your verses continue inspiring us all—proof that poetry might indeed hold secret anti-aging powers.

And let's not forget your years shaping promising talents at Columbia University's Graduate Writing Program; no wonder you're aging gracefully—you've spent decades passing youthful literary angst onto generations of aspiring poets! Here's wishing another timeless chapter filled with joy, laughter, rhyme (or reason), and endless poetic mischief.