I’m Not a Liquid

By: Michaela Kaplan

 

I no longer wish to temper my joy

My passion

mySELF

In order to fit into a box of societal norms.

Although, Kathy Hoopman wrote about how all cats are autistic…

And cats like boxes…

And my cat and I have a lot in common and run on a codependent schedule,

So I’m not writing off boxes entirely.

 

Unlike a cat, I do not occasionally exist as a liquid,

Therefore I require a box that is me shaped.

 

We need boxes big enough to hold diverse ecosystems.

 

This is why I choose to play with matches…

Set sparks

In order to burn away the bland with precision.

Exchanging sterility for vitality.

Because I want to live in a world where flowers grow and gardens bloom even though the sky is on fire.

 

Now, bear with me, as I tend to mix up my idioms,

But seeing as I am somewhere between human and cat,

I don’t see why it should be impossible to have my cake and sleep on it too…

 

So, as Marie Antoinette most certainly did not say,

Let them sleep on cake!

… or joyfully do whatever interesting, quirky thing speaks to their soul.

 

And we don’t need to burn boxes in order to make space for us all.