An Annotation of ‘My Box’
Robert Phelps 17th September 2001
The first stanza is 8 lines long each line alternating between 4 and 3 beats per line. The first stanza pictures the box in the readers mind, describing in great detail and how it was made. The stanza is describing something that has happened maybe many years ago, but it is still cherished by the writer. If a tune was added to it, it would make a good song as the words flow off of your tongue. The rhythm is in lines, the first line is 4 beats then 3, 4, 3, 4, 3, 4, 3 beats. There is no set rhyming scheme, words rhyme in different places; most of the rhyming words are half rhymes rather than fully rhyming words. The box has many different meanings not just the one that is displayed on the surface. It is a gift from her lover to her, it represents their love for each other. She says that a lot of time was spent on making the box just like a lot of time was most likely spent trying to start and improve their relationship. The poem is comparing nature to their box and relationship and the time taken.