Poetry as Boxes

I guess I need to be more careful with the words I choose for A to Z. Just yesterday I was talking about how acceptance is so important and how I want to be accepting of everything that comes this month, and this morning I wake up to no internet. My internet was out all day and just when I had given up on being able to get the prompts, write my poem, and post today (7:30 pm), my internet suddenly started working. So I have an abbreviated post today, but I’m here, so Hurray!!

While reading Hanif Abdurraqib’s profile of Terrance Hayes, I came across this interesting sentence, “He is talking about boxes and how every box, like every poem, has multiple sides through which it can be entered. So B is for boxes. This made me think of a poetry exercise I did a few weeks ago in which we drew boxes in a document and then put our text into the different boxes. Hayes’s thoughts on boxes made me think of using a flattened cube to put my words on. Then I can put the words on the inside or the outside of the cube. Then, by turning the cube, I can enter the poem from different text.

The Prompts & Today’s Poem

NaPoWriMo: Write a platonic love poem

PAD Challenge: Today is two for Tuesday

1. Write a happy poem, and/or…
2. Write a sad poem.

The Light on the Top of the Box is Blinking Yellow

I’m not sure when our relationship
changed from a casual acquaintance
to a  platonic love to this
unhealthy dependence
so clear this morning
when you disappeared
I awoke without a tether to the world
plans shredded and flapping in the wind
all communications lost
with no way to report that I’m adrift
and no way to lodge a complaint
Only yesterday I swore
acceptance of all that was to come
and here it is the unexpected
but I’ve come undone
And worrying that you’re gone for good
sucked my day away
checking and double checking
that I couldn’t bring you back
ate up all the hours
But here you are, suddenly returned
and I’m so happy, all is forgiven,
but please don’t leave me again

Here’s Hoping I’ll See You Tomorrow!