My life is a gift

Given to me

On my zero birthday.

Today I pulled out the ribbon,

Unwrapped the Box

And found lots of things,

Ordinary,

But also wonder-full:

A watch of gold,

And of gold

Is every hour in one’s life;

A jack-in-the box

Which makes you laugh

Or scares you to death, it depends;

Two beautiful baby-dolls,

The first a toy,

The second is not;

A prisoner’s crown and the shackles of a king;

I also found a Jack of Spades

You turn him upside down

He stays the same;

I found books;

I found a long video tape labeled

‘Fifty years of conflict between the Zionists and the Arabs’;

I found hell in an inkpot,

And heaven in an inkpot too;

I found an Arab horse on a race track

Covered with glue;

I found a stove with no flames;

At the bottom of the box,

I found a white card with my name on it,

The rest has not yet been written.

...

I did not know what to do with all these things!

Oh, God, thank you,

But why the trouble?

...

I put them all back in the box,

I closed it,

Wrapped it,

Tied the ribbon,

I threw it skywards and up it went,

The gift turned into a host of flying doves

That I will follow forever.

Why did I do that?

I really do not know!