The Box in the Basement

I will never forget the day my teacher gave us this special assignment. It was a special one because it was a contest. The winner would get a $50.00 gift card to Barnes and Noble and would be published. To this day, I have no idea where it is published. During this time in my life, I was fighting for who I was becoming, no matter anyone had said to make me feel small. It would later spark lots of attention that year included a reading in front of a large group in the cafeteria and a summer of writing.

They told me never to open this box

They tied it with rope and locked it with locks

But I found the scissors and I found the keys

And I am down in the basement and down on my knees

You could hear something echoing from the box along the purple walls

Oh it calls and oh it calls

I know curiosity killed the cat

But I’ll take this chance and that

I untied the ropes and unlocked the locks

And this is what happened when I opened that wretched box

Things came out so ludicrous!

Things bubbling and bubbling and hisses a hiss

Oh God I’m hoping there’s not one thing that I didn’t miss

Colors and colors

Lizards and fairies

Light, such light came out of this box

Oh, but if you peer further, further on

You will see a girl with bold eyes, she carries.

Eyes that can see right through you,

Haunt you

They pierced my soul,

I tell you this.

Her eyes spoke to me, they told a story

In an atmosphere of hate, she found her glory

Hate nearly beat her up and beat her down

But through it all she never fell off her high horse

And never lost her crown.

She is the one they tried to break

But didn’t, she did not break

Never did she come tumbling down

Down down down

To the depths of hate

That is why I see her

I see me.

That’s why they told me never to open this box

That’s why they tied it with rope and locked it with locks

But I found the scissors and I found the keys

That’s why curiosity killed the cat

That’s why I took this chance and that

That’s why I untied the rope and unlocked the locks

And that’s what I find what I found

Inside this wretched box.