No box to tick
Don’t try and define me
In your definition of me I will not be found
I do not fit in a box of containment
I have not four equal sides
I have jagged edges
Extending in directions of their own
In new directions I find unexpected strength
For they are the direction of mine only
The contradictions are marvellous
Imprinting individual marks
The makeup of wonderment
A changeable and expanding soul
Searching the sphere for contentment
The body vessel does not define
For it is a spiritual quest to fulfill
A sense that is intangible
But as real as you and I
-Camille Delaquise
This poem appears in Behind the Facade, Camille’s debut contemporary poetry collection. No box to tick speaks to the irreducible complexity of identity — rejecting confinement, easy labels and imposed definitions in favour of a self that is fluid, contradictory and spiritually alive.
This poem is available as a contemporary poetry print on textured recycled card.