Poem #13 Heart Shaped Box

If I were to give you
a heart shaped box
what would you expect
to find?
would you think about
chocolate nuggets
with caramel
or cherries
in the center
or cookies perhaps
that you could
carefully pick out
one by one

but what if I gave you
that box
and what you found
was everything
that was me
my love
my pain
my fragile ego
my talent
my tears
my fears
and my mistakes
would you still want it? 

would you unwrap
each morsel
individually to see
why I am so sensitive
why I push away
any woman
if they get too close
why I am so fucking rude
why I am so damn sarcastic
does that same box
seem heavier?

would you take
a damaged box
with all the
contents smashed
or melted
broken pieces
with crumbs everywhere
or would you
prefer that same box
gift wrapped
with a nice red ribbon
around it so that
you never know
that my heart shaped box
was damaged
until it was too late…