The Valley that Calls by Deniz Besim - HTML preview

The Birthday Gift

I was with a party of girls at break

Time, when one of them proposed to ask me

What it is I wanted for my birthday.

All of the girls were listening closely

When I told them I would like some perfume

Lavender.  That was all I had in mind.

Both my parents had only me in mind,

They were emotional, their voice would break,

When they asked me what I wanted.  Perfume

Lavender, I said.  When people asked me

What I wanted for my sixteenth, closely

Listening.  What I want for my birthday?

What I really wanted for my birthday,

I wasn't fussed about.  Nothing in mind.

Just get me what they'd like.  I don't closely

Care much.  Stop asking me, give me a break.

Please, their own ideas on presents for me,

It needn't be the lavender perfume.

On my sixteenth birthday I wore perfume

And had the girls around for my birthday

It's exciting.  What did they all get me?

They gathered round, I had their gifts in mind.

Hope they'd not get me something that would break

Too easy.  Peering at my face closely,

My friends were paying attention closely.

I opened my first gift.  It was perfume

Lavender.  'Thanks, Molly..' My voice would break.

The second gift I got for my birthday

.. . Was some lavender perfume.  In my mind,

Not again.  'Thanks Hugh for thinking of me..'

The third gift:  'Some more lavender for me?'

I hope that mum was listening closely

More perfume was not what I had in mind

When I opened the fourth present.  Perfume

Again!  Thanks a lot mum!  What a birthday!

My mates were in laughter.  Give me a break.

No original gifts for me.  Please break

This closely nuisance of copied birthday

Gifts.  Copy-cats mind, I don't want perfume!