The box

Inside is no place to hide.

It is a pit, a climb—
a ladder with missing
steps

A dark place leading to a volte-face.
Too much introspection leads to death.

Pummeling by mothballs, cedar, toile de Jouy,
whalebone ribs ripping,
tender scribblings on lined paper.

Who are you?

Box or pyramid?

Will you ever let me go?

Inside out
I walk the steps,
up, down,
it doesn’t matter…

Directionless is a new direction,
hopeless is a new goal.

I become adept
at random laughter.

Outside there’s no place to hide,
and all the better for it.


This is what I call an intuitive poem, a poem written in a kind of meditative state in response to a prompt. The prompt is the image you see above. It’s a card from The Wild Unknown Archetypes tarot deck.

It was posted by poet Cassie Fielding on her Instagram account for Alchemical Poetics, a gathering place for poets interested in Tarot Poetry and poetic inquiry into archetypal images.

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Responses

  1. SelmaMartin Avatar
    SelmaMartin

    Introspection on this is art. You and your mind express things that come from a deep place. I love it Conny. So cool.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Dominic Alapat Avatar
    Dominic Alapat

    You are able to give voice to thoughts and feelings, which are rarely expressed in words! Every line in this poem is special Conny!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Conny Avatar
      Conny

      Thank you, Dominic. I’m glad you think so, because that’s what intuitive writing is supposed to get at.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Dominic Alapat Avatar
        Dominic Alapat

        Right. My pleasure Conny!

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Michele Lee Avatar
    Michele Lee

    Conny, your ability to create poems that are uniquely original and deeply reflective is a gift that makes for a special reading experience. Thank you.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Conny Avatar
      Conny

      Thanks so much for that beautiful comment, Michele!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Michele Lee Avatar
        Michele Lee

        My pleasure! 😊

        Liked by 1 person

  4. sunhesper Avatar
    sunhesper

    After reading the guidebook entry for this card, I think you were even more tapped in than you realized. “Others will wonder what you’re doing, and why. You will too. That is part of the process.” The layers are perfectly conveyed in your poem; boxes within boxes, but an unerring path toward freedom.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Conny Avatar
      Conny

      Yeah, I just want to escape from the box! Thanks, Sun!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Eternal Anglo Seax (ᛋᛠᛉ) Avatar
    Eternal Anglo Seax (ᛋᛠᛉ)

    I really like this one.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Conny Avatar
      Conny

      Thanks. Appreciate it!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Eternal Anglo Seax (ᛋᛠᛉ) Avatar
        Eternal Anglo Seax (ᛋᛠᛉ)

        My pleasure, of course.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Layla Todd Avatar
    Layla Todd

    I so enjoy the contemplative feel of this poem and the way it rolls from one thought to the next! Lovely. ❤

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Conny Avatar
      Conny

      Thank you, Layla. It was fun to write more intuitively.

      Liked by 1 person

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