HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEONARD!!!

[lizzytysh]

Happy Birthday to you from me,
Leonard, you're seventy-three.

My posting
number 16,000
reduces to a seven
the number of G~d.

G~d be with you, Leonard.

I've heard you don't care for birthdays... or at least celebrating them. If that's true, I offer you 7 reasons to enjoy this one.

(1) Anjani
(2) Cassius Lyon
(3) Asher's mother
(4) Adam
(5) Lorca
(6) Esther
(7) Roshi

September 21, 2007 ~ A day set aside for all of you to appreciate your being in their lives.

A happy and blessed Shabbat birthday to you, Leonard. May G~d give you many more.


Love,
Elizabeth/Lizzy

[Andrew (Darby)]

Happy Birthday Leonard!

Thank you for everything: all your work and what you represent.

Cheers
Andrew (Darby)

P.S. It's not too late to come "down under" to celebrate your birthday with us next weekend!

[Tchocolatl]

"By accessing “leonardcohenforum.com” (hereinafter “we”, “us”, “our”, “leonardcohenforum.com”, “http://www.leonardcohenforum.com”), you agree to be legally bound by the following terms. If you do not agree to be legally bound by all of the following terms then please do not access and/or use “leonardcohenforum.com”."
(...)
"You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-orientated or any other material that may violate any laws be it of your country, the country where “leonardcohenforum.com” is hosted or International Law."

As I clicked on "I agree to these terms" now I must write a plain ''happy birthday" to play safe.

Maybe "happy" is too ambiguous. Lets just use "birthday", then. But thinking about it, "birth" could be reliated to procreation, hum... So I go for a plain "day" instead. One of those among the best like when I listen to Leonard Cohen songs.

Also I'll be thinking of The International Day of Peace* on September 21. Many good things on that day.

*
http://www.gaiafield.net

[Paula]

Happy Birthday Leonard. Meeting you in Manchester fulfilled one of my life's ambitions. I wish you all the best, good health and happiness for many many years to come.

[silvergreen]

Happy birthday, dearest LC!
And many happy returns of this day!
May this special day bring you all the best things in the world and may God offer you all what you know you need!

You are unique.

Cannot imagine my life without your songs, your lyrics, your voice.
Yourself. It wouldn’t be the same.
It seems you have always been there for me ... time has no value when it comes about you.

Your exquisite music makes my secret inner life more creative.

I feel you wrote certain songs especially for me, as if you knew what would happen to me.

These words of yours rule my life:
“I know you really love me,
But, you see, my hands are tied …”
“And I miss you so much, there is no on in sight,
And we’re still making love in my secret life ..”

(…) think of me when you will hear
some of my LC’s songs dear,
pray for me when you will see
my clepsydra that will be
measuring my love for you …

wishing you would love me too,
just don’t know what have to do …
(“Time to go” – Elena, July 26, 2006).
This is for my beloved.

Stay with me, my dear LC!
Stay with my secret inner life.

Your music beautifies my inner loneliness.

Emotionally yours,
Elena

[ForYourSmile]

Well, and everything that I could say now will seem small.

Just to try to show again my gratefulness for everything that you have given me. This year has been very special to be near Anjani and Adam in Sant Cugat (Barcelona.)

Happy birthday, Leonard!

And here's a fan still writing for your smile.

[Alan Alda]

(I'm not really alan alda. I'm Laurie. It's too stupid to explain.)

*** Dear Leonard ***

We must stop meeting like this…

Okay, so maybe it does have something to do with your Birthday (Happy Birthday, by the way!!). I'm never sure what to say or what to get you. Last year I think it was a lousy little poem. This year I decided to take you on an imaginary musical journey.

Please press the button below that resembles a light bulb encased in gold, to hear the Beatles sing: Norwegian Wood.


Why that song? Well simply because it is lovely.

Did you hear it? Good. Hope you enjoyed it.

The next imaginary piece I have picked out is Peter Seeger's:
Turn! Turn! Turn! sung by the Byrds


(Please do remember to press the button, otherwise it doesn't work).
Again, simply because it is lovely.

Next, to liven things up I offer The Clash singing:
Should I Stay or Should I Go!?


Hope you like that one as much as I do. It has great energy.

No. I won't go so far as asking you listen to an imaginary rendition of the Happy Birthday song. It is too expected and besides you have real peeps around you to take care of that little ditty.

I guess the final song (sorry this is such a long card) would have to be a re-gift. A sending back to you the gift of your song:
Anthem


I hope you are not tired of it. The gift of that song fell into my world exactly when I needed it. To imagine, please press button. Or better yet, maybe have a random sing-along with the loved ones around you.

Happy Birthday.
Thanks for the music. But mostly, thanks for the words.

Cheers, Happy Birthday and best to you and yours,
Laurie in Alaska

[ispellit]

Dear Mr. Cohen,

although it's YOUR BIRTHDAY and you don't know me and probably never will, I need to tell you, that by your poetry and music, you have given me the biggest, most beautiful and touching present I've ever received. It's the only present I got that hasn't become any obsolete nor boring or lacklustre.

Moreover, I'm happy having joined this forum of so many interesting people gathering around you.

Thank you for reliably accompanying me for 26 years now [for I know I'm not easy to deal with ... ],
I thank you with all my heart, sir.

May you live in peace and good health and have plenty of joy for many, many years! "LeChaim" !

Love,
Kerstin

[Stranger]

Happy birthday Leonard,

Your songs have aged as gracefully as you yourself.

What else is there to say?

[Inam]

Here's something I wrote for you Leonard....and while i am posting this, there's "I Can't Forget" playing ... I wish I could write better...I wish.


Lines for Leonard

-for L. Cohen on his birthday, 21st September


Suzanne takes you down
to her mansion of pearls…

blood pearls grace the violin

the psalm of death is heard

and the scent of kisses,
submarine

you discover the lovers
moving on crutches…

exploring the water songs

dragging their wings
like old angels

beneath the demon of sound,
they love and die

beneath the umbrella of lions,
they write secret letters
to their fathers.

they ask you to be their king

but you only wait on them,
like a boy in a hotel.

http://inam-poetry.blogspot.com

[Joney]

Happy Birthday Mr Cohen, new fan here working my way backwards through your albums and enjoying them all. Thanks for the songs.

I hope you have a lovely birthday and lots of nice presents. I look forward to the Barbican show on October 20th. Oh yeah, and my brother Declan, who introduced me to your music, says that you can keep the tenner that you owe him.

Regards

Joney

[Hec]

Happy Birthday

[Sebby]

Poet (for Leonard on his Birthday)

He is not yet comfortable
in his sparse new threads,
his Emperor’s clothing
borrowed from a man
no longer in need of illusions.

He is tempted by the romance of ellipses
those awkward little word bridges
falling,
like lead-bellied butterflies
on either end of his fractured thoughts.

He dreams of Cohen,
spots him dancing
on dimly lit street corners
spouting bravado to passers-by…music to his hibernating
nocturnal mind,
but only when he’s sailing past Mont-real
sleeping shot-gun
two a.m.
through the orange glow
of veiny French highways.

Cohen fragments,
dissipates,
refuses to accompany him
past the tunnel’s luminous threshold.

The crusty St. Lawrence–shrewd river mother–
stands guard over its aged Icons,
especially in the realm of dreams
where such beatific creatures
tend to get lost,
caught up in the fancies of dreaming poets
hurling recklessly throughout the darkened night.

Happy Day, my fellow countryman.

[elfra]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEONARD
Card created by Liz Francis

[jarkko]

Birthday card created by Kadir Ercan