gifts

Gifts fly in on paper wings
Left on the shelf by someone acting like they don't care
Paper airplanes, notes, candy, always candy

They act one way but think another
You can never tell who admires you
Or secretly hates you

In middle school, actions speak differently than words
They don't even understand why they do some things
So you can't judge any books by their covers at this age

When those smiling girls end up detesting your very breath
And the boys who tell everyone how much they hate you
Actually are the ones who leave a trail

I watch for the gifts—small ones, almost imperceivable
To let me know when a teenage soul values me