I live inside a box of boundaries
Saw it just today
Made up of many different things
That keep the world at bay

A semi-permeable field
Ever changing in it’s force
Is there to help protect me
Not surrendering my source

This is where I draw the line
Between inside and out
Trust encourages entrance
Deceit gets you kicked out

Truth beauty modesty
Pleasure pain and hope
Along with trust and honesty
Help define its scope

Storing rules of conduct
How I interact with you
Assessing risk and consequence
How much I let you through

In reverse it’s just as terse
In keeping me contained
At times it just won’t let me out
It keeps me so restrained

Now I feel you testing me
Your boundaries are so strong
Will my answer be correct
Or will I just be wrong

If I fail and flunk the test
You close me out once more
I crawl inside my little box
And gently close the door.

—LZ