A Poem: A Tale of Two Boxes - 6/6/10

There once were two boxes on the side of the street
One was decorated, the other unmarked with the contents discrete
The plain one sat and sat, as people continually passed it by
The other received all the attention, with no question as to why.

Sleet or snow, rain or shine
The boxes were there, time after time
Some would take the decorative one, but the other was neglected
Both seemed to be empty, so no personal gain was expected.

I passed by the boxes often, and of course I was curious
My curiosity got to me one evening, as I walked home furious
I picked up the unmarked box, and shook it near my ear
I heard nary a rattle, the box's purpose was still unclear.

I figured I'd open it, and see if there was anything within
After some jostling, I opened it, and there was a small diamond, pinned
I then opened the gilded box, to find only a small, pinned, ugly rock
Leaving me standing there with a diamond, still in shock.

I returned to that spot the very next day
And sure enough, there did a decorative box lay
But the simple box wasn't there, and I began to worry
I wanted to get the diamond back to its owner in a hurry.

Then I saw a young lady that left me in awe
She was stylish, gorgeous, and confident, I swore she had not a single flaw
Upon walking up to me, she asked was I the one that had won the prize
All I could muster was "I guess" out of confusion and surprise.

She said "Everything that glitters isn't gold, as you can see"
"They all take the pretty box, but that's all it will be"
I asked about the diamond, and what she planned to do
She said that I got lucky and that she did too.

If a woman had been in my position, she would've given the diamond to her
If it had been another man, the same thing was going to occur
But since I was attractive, we agreed to go on a date
We also agreed that we were worth each other's wait.

She was a diamond in the rough, much like the one that I found
No longer do those boxes lay on the ground
The purpose was served, the superficial received not a thing
But I, the person that cared, received what would turn out to be love: the greatest bling.

-A. Lewis