Her scent- expiring glow

She gave me expired perfume

like she give affection—

carelessly wrapped,

thoughtless beneath the shine.

A person who offers faded things

often carries a faded sincerity too.

She is not the first person whom likes gifting me expiring products.

What unsettles me is not the value of the items, but the thought behind them.

Gifts are meant to carry care, attention, and intention.

Receiving things that are already fading makes me quietly question how I am seen by the people giving them to me.

Oh well, not everything that feels sharp in the moment is meant to become something heavy I carry.

Let it register, not define you.