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December 4, 2004
Boxes within boxes
Today in the paper there was an article about cross-country moving scams. The picture showed a moving truck with boxes labeled for each room stacked here and there. One box said “Living Room,” another “Kitchen” and another “Bedroom.” It was a very interesting article about extortion and theft on the Internet. The headline said, “Mover Beware.” It’s a good article to read if you are planning on moving.
Seeing the pictures of boxes stacked and ordered in categories by room, ready to move into the house led me to think about what we construct around us. Then as I was driving to work I passes over this high hill and looked out over a new development that was going up. It was rows upon rows of identical looking houses that have not yet set themselves apart. Then a little while later I saw another development that was older. From a higher elevation looking down on it, it was still rows upon rows of boxes within the box of the neighborhood. Looking deeper into the homes we would see some differences, but maybe those differences are not so different, considering most neighborhoods contain ethnically, economically and philosophically similar residents.
But no matter which neighborhood we move to, there are similar parameters to life there. There are expectations of the residents to fit in with everyone else in that neighborhood. Besides our neighborhoods, cities and countries, there are also mental boxes we create, within boxes, within more boxes. Containers we label for proper handling and moving into their proper spaces. Class, status, race, sex, language, marital status, etc. are labels and order we create. It’s of our own doing. We can move from one to another and in and out of boxes, yet we find ourselves still contained by our notions about things. Before we are too harsh with others or too critical, it’s helpful to remember to avoid generalizing about people, labeling and stacking them for neat placement in our house. We can learn to look at each other as individuals with unique needs. We can also learn to love each other. We can be aware that even our own lives are self-made and ordered by our own design, and we can change it. Before we are too critical of others it is helpful to understand our own lives.
These walls close in around me
containing, enshrouding Rose,
Soft petals enfold my name,
turning inward in a dream.
I’m lying between the sheets
tossing and turning about,
a box smaller and smaller,
one enclosing another.
Within sheets, within walls, in house,
within locks and doors and halls,
this box contains, holds, enshrouds;
this dream entombs and confines.
Placed neatly, this box in box
by my design, house in house,
neighborhood, city, enclosed,
row upon row, line on line.
Once defined a dreamy flow
becomes waves upon the rocks
holding in its walls the shore,
building blocks enslave, enshrine.
This age, this race, class and sex,
Where’s the new when it’s all old?
Box upon box amassing
this living concealed in days.
Within roses and houses
I’m lying between the sheets
of defining norms, poses,
rank, labels, status and dreams.
Is there escape and repose?
when outside of box is box,
and it’s all by my design?
Posted by carl1236 at December 4, 2004 11:58 PM | Attitude