A Holiday Question

If I send her a present of costly glass

     It is likely to broken be;

If I send her a gem, or many of them,

     They might become lost, you see.

If I send her a ring it might not fit,

     If I send her roses they’ll fade;

If I send her a pet, O endless regret,

     I might be left in the shade.

If I send her my heart, untarnished and free,

     Will it fit, as I hope, quite well?

Will it journey astray, or fade in a day,

     Or will it be broken, pray tell?

Aug. 21, 1900