My Box
Is the box I inhabit
of my own making?
Did I erect its glass walls?
smooth and impenetrable
Did I construct it’s solid top?
painstakingly taking steps
and making decisions
to seal it tightly shut.
Did I desire its glass ceiling?
one I could not penetrate
to progress a fast paced career
at the potential expense
of my relationships
with the two little souls
I chose to bring into this world
Did I chose to wall myself
inside a see through box?
effectively protecting myself
from rampant hormones
that could lead me astray
and shatter my personal dreams
Did the surrounding walls
ensure that balance was maintained?
no third child for me
to upset the pre-determined boundries
of a well-planned and efficient life.
Is my box to keep me in?
a place to shelter
wrapped in my gossamer world
of imagination and fairytales
carefully balanced with a well paid job
and carefully controlled success
Is it my place of dominance?
all ways being my way
the view, the temperature; and
most importantly
who gains entry
Is such a well thought out box
of my own construction
good – or is it bad?
by Roberta Eaton Cheadle
The rules
Use above image as inspiration for a poem or short story.
Alternatively,
If you are an artist or photographer, use this as an opportunity to showcase your own work.
You have 1 week to complete this challenge.
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roberta-writes.com 
Oh! Robbie. This is so honest, so sad, triumphant, scary, well planned and executed…. It is a call to celebrate or a plea for help. Very well done 💜💜
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Hi Willow, thank you for your lovely comment. I’m glad you appreciated this poem.
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I really did Robbie 💜
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Deeply honest
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Thank you, Jude. 25 years of a corporate life and I’m happy with the choices I made.
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A dark night of the soul. These are very hard questions to face.
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Yes, they are hard decisions to make, Liz, but I look at my life and the freedom I have managed to obtain in my job because I didn’t want to be a partner, and I’m grateful. If I chosen the route of partner I don’t believe I would have the amazing relationship I have with my sons and I certainly wouldn’t have the time to write. As it is, my team make use of the best of my abilities with corporate restructuring and complex accounting and let me off the hook with a lot of the admin I hate.
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Definitley the right decisions, then.
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Ha! The first thing I thought of with that picture was our COVID world–cut off and segmented. I like your poem better.
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I can understand why you thought of that, Jacqui. Covid-19 is on a back burner in South Africa at the moment so it isn’t as burning an issue in my mind. I know it is different in Europe and the US. I believe they are starting to roll out the vaccination in the UK next week.
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Such a wonderful response to the photo. Honest and lyrical.
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Thank you, Jim. I’m glad you appreciated this poem.
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I think we all second-guess our life decisions, Robbie. {{hugs}}
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I am sure most people wonder about some of their life choices, Jacquie. Hugs.
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There is a certain light come in from such a dark place. Very nicely done, Robbie.
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Thank you, Tom. I am glad you can see that. I see it too.
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‘come in’ is supposed to be ‘coming’
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Good question to end with Robbie. Very insightful poem.
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Thank you, Denise. For me, I think my box is quite a good thing. It keeps some of the work pressure and demands out. The higher you go and the more you get paid, the bigger price you pay from a personal point of view.
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Lots to think about in those words, Robbie. It’s something I’m guilty of. Well-done!
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Thank you, Jan. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, it depends on your purpose.
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I think we have all asked ourselves similar questions, ones that have no clear answers. We live with our choices, but there were always other roads we could have taken. (K)
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I agree, Kerfe. I believe I made the right choice putting my boys before my career. My career is a success anyway and I have some freedom in my job of my own making.
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I’m reminded of an Australian song called Jails. The opening line goes: “We build jails for those, who can’t build their own…”
And you’re right. Sometimes I think we are all in a box (jail) of our own creation. Ugh. Glum now.
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Hi Jessica, don’t be glum. In this poem, the walls and ceiling are of my own creation in order to have the life I wanted. Although I ended the poem with a question, I believe I made the right choices. People need boundaries.
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Sometimes we have more questions than answers. Great thinking, Robbie!
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Thank you, Miriam
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You’re welcome, Robbie.
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I enjoyed the structure of this one as much as the content. Thank you for sharing!
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I’m glad you like my freestyle poetry, Micah. I starting using this style and form when I read my blogging friend, Sumyanna’s beautiful poetry. she really inspired me.
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I think it’s interesting how you constructed the box from your own mind, not from minds outside yourself.
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Thanks H. I do not profess to have any understanding of how most peoples minds work. I’ve found more solidarity through blogging than any other form of socialising.
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That was amazing, Robbie. I think we all have those boxes, but the key is to recognize them. And with that recognition comes the power to change them if and when we choose. 🙂
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I am glad you appreciated this poem, Diana. That is exactly how I see life.
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It was great!
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Interesting questions I can relate to having had a challenging career and family. We do the best we know how trying to balance it all. I suppose there will always be regrets, but also things to be thankful for. I’m thankful for fewer demands in my life now.
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Yes, that is true, most of us do the best we can to achieve some sort of reasonable balance. That is not always the case though. I think there are a lot of neglected children in the world.
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Some interesting questions there, Robbie. I think we all do build a box for ourselves – a place where we feel safe.
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Thanks, Norah, and one where we can maintain our social and ethical beliefs too.
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That’s important too.
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Thankyou for sharing your thoughts Roberta, straight from the heart and honest. I often think of the box that have created for myself, my safety net.
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A lot of us create boxes, Ally. I don’t think they are a bad thing. I think they help us live our lives according to our principles and morals. Sometimes, of course, they can do damage. We have to monitor and manage them.
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really well done – and the pondering were so authentic = 🙂
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Thank you, Yvette. These are my thoughts so very authentic.
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A deep, well-written, and thought-provoking poem, Robbie. Nicely done!
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Thank you, Mark, for your lovely comment.
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