#40

He does not like being told what to do,
if he wants to sit in the remnants of the gift,
he will sit.
You mustn't worry about the paper cuts
or the crinkling discomfort;
let him experience them for himself.
Let him realize that
no one
is going
to wrap
him
up
and that
everyone else
has moved on
to the dining room
for poached eggs and spinach.
He will wonder,
as the sun slowly arches
over the southern sky,
how he came to be alone
in these paper bedsheets
and he will move his body
to hear the sounds beneath him.
It is okay.
He does not like being told what to do;
let him sit, let him sit, let him sit.