self portrait as the present inside the amazon box that says fragile

Style: N/A.

Statement: I originally wrote “Self Portrait” as a way for me to express the idea of a younger adult becoming independent and in awe of growing up. Although it is a self portrait of an inanimate object, the true focus is on the owner herself.

the delivery man dumped me on your front porch. he turned on his heel and continued his day; slammed on his gas and sped to the next neighborhood.

you opened the door, yelled thank you at his back, and carried me inside.

your golden retriever sniffed me

and sneezed and barked.

fragile, my box says.

handle with care.

with not a glance at my sticker,

you rip me open, shred my box apart and carefully reach

into the styrofoam and bubble wrap,

lifting me up into the air, a first place trophy.

you are carefree and young,

high-spirited and optimistic.

you place me on your top shelf with pride.

i am nothing but a glass figurine inside an amazon box.

but to you,

i am the opposite of your soul:

delicate, transparent, sharp.

i am a bridge between your childhood,

your future, and your in-between.

i am a reminder of youth,

i am a prologue to adulthood,

i am your everything.