ORDINARY JOY

Do Nobel Prize judges feel guilty
when they receive a thoughtfully wrapped gift,

a reminder that they’ve long snubbed
the inventor who gave the world
ten seconds of wonder,

ten seconds of childlike curiosity,  
ten times ten seconds cursing
a box within a box, nesting in a third,

a joyful gesture across nations and cultures,
though I’m happy my cat rejected this custom,
never giving its prized mouse wrapped in yarn.

So be meticulous in your wrapping and taping,
generous in your ribbons and bows,
and raise a toast to the genius who inspired

your grandfather to wrap a twenty-dollar
gift card inside a used flatscreen TV box.