piled up paper
sparkles and shimmer
gloss and gold and glimmer
cartoon hearts and teddy bears
silver ribbons like silky hair
candy colored coverings
sunshine and sky blue
boxes and plastic
words written big and bright
wrapped things within wrapped things
price tags half removed
sentiments on greeting cards
angels and flowers, sunsets and footsteps
black and white lines holding colored balloons
the inevitable joke
turn the cover and peek inside
it’s not what you thought it would be
piled up paper
glitter and golden shreds
your name on a tag in the pile
written in red
July 2006