The Box

I give shape to your thinking

And form your understanding.

I can be rigid, resistant

To shrinking or expanding;

I am a marker to outline

Your position

To give you structure

And definition.

I discipline ideas,

I convey opinions as fact.

I am the rules of the game,

The solutions must fit a format.

To the picture I am the frame,

I am the non-compete clause,

The justification,

The reason,

The because.

I am the Box.

I was here first and I found you

Then with experience you found me.

But I am not a barrier.

I set the goal lines as a boundary.

I am perforated for you to breathe

I tried to be the one

To get things done,

But now I see

You intentionally,

Want to think outside of me?

Don’t view me

As inherently evil.

A revolution isn’t needed

Nor an upheaval

To overthrow me.

If you work with me.

If you coerce me

I won’t resist.

You can know me

And find me willing

To co-exist.

I am the box,

At times a radical

At times orthodox.

I am not a coffin.

View me as a present

Wrapped in wonder

A gift exchangeable

Expandable,

Understandable,

Whose contents may shift

During flight,

Protect me from extreme

Temperature, pressure

And light.

And always remember,

My doctrine is fair,

Respect my stature

And handle with care.

I am the box

Sometimes seen as a paradox

A riddle with a word to the wise.

Solve me but do not compromise.

I may not be appreciated.

I’m taken for granted, depreciated

Even though I have a flexible interior,

I am durable, superior

To withstand the constant

Challenges to my authority.

I am the template

With seniority.

I am the box

I have value.

I am the prize.

To discard me,

To disregard me

Could lead to your demise.

In time, you will recognize

That outside of me lies,

Another box of a different size.

Copyright © 2004 Orlando Ceaser