A Present Worth Having? - Diane Scantlebury

If I gave you a box
All tied up with string,
Decorated with pretty paper
A beautiful thing,
Think how disappointed you’d be,
When you looked inside
And nothing could you see,

Long ago I made a promise
You made one too,
But time eroded your memory
Honesty and faithfulness
You just couldn’t do,
Now I’ve moved on
And no longer resent,
The box of empty loneliness
You left for me,
Or the wasted years spent,

When a gift is offered
Surely you’d agree,
At most it should be given with love
And at least sincerity,
I decided not to judge you
Although countless others would,
For a present is only worth having
If the giver's intentions are good.

Diane Scantlebury