Forethought to Audience: Each stanza contains at least one symbol of an unfortunate circumstance that has occurred in my life. If a person has changed, their past doesn’t portray who they are. Rather it shows others how strong they are.

 

Quit staring into my tired, watery eyes

Please don’t ask me about the marks on my thighs

I couldn’t help myself

I needed to feel something that would tell me this is real

 

My past is like a box

Trapping, suffocating

Phone keeps ringing

Jailbirds are sorrowfully singing

Monsters tear at my clothes

My mind

My heart

Each one swiftly tearing me apart

Pieces of me scattered

Promising vessels shattered

Yell, scream, kick, slap

Raindrops filling my lap

Why is he sick?

Why is he gone?

Why does everything I do seem wrong?

He who looks back bumps into a wall

I guess that’s why I always fall

 

My past is like a box

Distinctly labeled: NEVER RETURN TO SENDER

She’s stronger now

Bolder now

Heading in a clear direction without looking back

Rambunctiousness is a quality she certainly doesn’t lack

Growth and change

Refusal to remain the same

These are the key ingredients to setting aside a box made of glass

And blurring the memories of a broken past