One day they took a man
And put him in a box
Asked him to fold the vertices into truths
‘Can you map a path to atonement?’
His vision was narrow
Cloistered in a box
A space with no windows
Four walls
Inside was nothing
But the music
Of dead trees
Soft whispers of silence
There he learned the secrets
Of solitude
The limitations of walls
Fractured dreams
As his fingers weakly traced
The cratered texture
Of his confinement
I have known both the comforts and the limitations of the box, which you capture well here by moving between alternate points of view, solitude initially portrayed as being narrow, cloistered, and windowless, but later described as musical nothingness, soft whispers, a place where one is privy to secrets. I especially liked the challenge, where they “asked him to fold the vertices into truths / ‘Can you map a path to atonement?’ ” Truth and atonement begin in the box but to truly free yourself, you must be able to escape it and follow where they lead. Glad to see you back, Lana, hope your holidays were enjoyable. 🙂
Great summation, Joan, thanks so much. Yes, there is both good and bad in a box and freedom is out there beyond the struggle for things that a truly important. I enjoyed the holidays very much. I hope you had a wonderful season as well. Happy New Year my friend!
A fascinating poem, Lana. I love Joan’s comment, though I find the idea of being boxed, willingly or not, rather gloomy. I hope your new year brings you new flights of freedom and creativity. <3
Happy New Year my friend! Maybe being all boxed up is just a tad bit gloomy, lol. I wish my few Xmas decorations would box themselves up while we are talking boxes. I hope your new year brings the same bountiful freedom and creativity. xoxo
You’ve captured what one does feel when confined. It does make you think about life and its purpose. For those of us who enjoy the cozy close embrace it is soothing but for those who need space it forces us to climb out and upwards.
Dee, that is exactly what it is and there are times in life when we experience both places. I hope your new year is off to a great start. Thank you for stopping by!