THE GIFT (dedicated to my frnd Warsha)

I don't have much to give you
in the way of material things.
But then, I have never been a material person . . .
so it wouldn't matter much anyway.
I do have something to give you, though . . .
and I hope you accept this gift with joy.
I have chosen not to wrap it . . .
I want it to be presented to you
as pristine as can be.
And anyway, decorations or wrappings would
certainly ruin the effect.
And so it is . . . that I stand before you . . .
unclothed, but surprisingly, unashamed
of my nakedness.
You have already captured a piece of my heart,
and you have captivated my soul.
The only thing left for me to present to you
is my very being . . . and I do that willingly,
happily, and most of all . . . lovingly.
Standing before you . . . watching your every movement . . .
seeing the desire in your eyes
for the very first time.
I don't believe in all of my life,
I have ever witnessed a moment
as beautiful as this.
Neither one of us can speak . . .
and we are finding, even breathing, is difficult.
Your heartbeat is pounding out a rhythm
that almost assaults my ears.
I can hear it from where I stand across from you . . . 
and every beat speaks of your love for me.
I am giving you this gift tonight,
because I desperately want you to look inside.
I want you to open this package that I offer you,
slowly . . . lovingly . . . sensuously . . .
and search for what lies within.
You don't have to look far, you know . . .
everything I feel for you is just below the surface.
So it shouldn't take long for you
to discover the beauty awaiting you there.
Go ahead . . . open this gift as a child would
on a snowy Christmas morning . . .
in a hurried fashion . . . rather like a frenzy, if you will.
But once that initial gift is opened . . .
and the passion subsides . . .
Please promise me
that this gift I give you . . .
this gift of myself . . .
is only just the beginning.