boxes
the bane of our existence

they say
you are this
or you are that
the jocks
the nerds
the artists
the depressed outcasts
the performers

they put us into boxes
stuffed so tight that we can’t breathe
can’t move
can’t escape
if you do escape
you feel like you belong
nowhere
box-less and alone

it is a crippling emotion
but it can also bring freedom

why can’t I be friends with
kids who are one thing
and
kids who are not
at the same time?

why aren’t the boxes open?
why can’t the labels be removed?
why have I been stripped of my individuality?

why do they tell me to
‘be myself’
if they don’t really mean it?

i feel as if i’ve been
manufactured
boxed
stacked
and labelled

the smallest defects
or the slightest flaws
are cause enough for me to be thrown into the box labelled
“undesirable”

my box should not be taped shut
and the only label that should ever be on it is
“open”

i don’t want to be one thing
i don’t want to be constrained to one box
my box is open
is yours?