Poetry 3

Shoebox

Life is solitary inside a shoebox.

Birth is a cosmic lottery of shoeboxes.

There are humble shoeboxes and luxury shoeboxes.

If you’re lucky you’ll get a posh shoebox

of sturdy construction with a hinged lid. The shoebox

of your dreams has a designer logo in gold. It’s a shoebox

with lettering in smart font and lined with red paper. A shoebox

with ventilation holes will let you see other shoeboxes.

Try not to feel envy if your personal shoebox

falls short. We can’t all be the same. Your shoebox

may be fragile and dull but it’s still your one and only shoebox

and you must love it. You can’t exchange it for another shoebox

or get a refund. You must make the best of what’s inside your shoebox.

Build your nest of tissue and be safe in the darkness of your shoebox.

You can run around in circles and scream inside your shoebox.

You can pick your nose and forget to shower in your shoebox.

You can paint purple stars on the inside of your shoebox

and find another world.