🌾 return to “life is a garden”

container store

she asks him,
“why don’t you become
something different for me -
someone
completely different
from who you are,
and then
finally
we can be happy.”

sometimes
someone asks this of you
and you
oblige-
you believe in earnest,
that
“we could be happy
if only
you were someone else”

breaking bones
to fit in neat little containers
easily transported,
easily translated,
easily relatable
to everyone else’s
neat little containers-

boxes amongst
other boxes.




but what is this?!
the
container store?
no! sweetie!
this is
LIFE
and this one is
special!
someone surely
can match your freak
without making
love
feel like a trip
to the
fuckin’
container store!


if a guy makes you feel
like you take up too much space
by saying
you’re too smart to date
or
if a girl
(for some reason)
doesn’t like that
you wear a size 9 shoe
or if
someone wishes
you received less attention,
that they’d feel less
insecure
that way -
then these people
maybe
don’t love you at all
because
love is sometimes compromise, i guess
but really
love is just
so stupid
in the best way
and i think
we ought
to lean into
the absurdity rather than
to make complete sense
and put things
in neat little containers.

someone should love
you
as you are
and leave a little space
for things less desirable
to spill over
because that
too
is just as much
us
as those other
nicer things
people make lists about.

containers cannot
attain happiness
because they are just
inanimate objects
sometimes made of
wood or plastic
or even
aluminum,
but you!
and me!
we’re made of matter and
celestial dust things
and i don’t know
what to make of
any of it.

i do know this-
everyone needs
to be loved
and everyone wants
to be loved.

sacrifice whatever you think
you already know
about everything-
bear your ugly
in-containable,
imperfect
self,
and a beautiful
loving
imperfect
thing
will follow-

“we will
be happy
simply because
i am happy
to know you.”