Magic Box

The Magic Box

I will put in the box

the swish of a silk sari on a summer night,

fire from the nostrils of a Chinese dragon,

the tip of a tongue touching a tooth.

I will put in the box

a snowman with a rumbling belly,

a sip of the bluest water from Lake Lucerne,

a leaping spark from an electric fish.

I will put in the box

three violet wishes spoken in Gujarati,

the last joke of an ancient uncle

and the first smile of a baby.

I will put in the box

a fifth season and a black sun,

a cowboy on a broomstick

and a witch on a white horse.

My box is fashioned from ice and gold and steel,

with stars on the lid and secrets in the corners.

It's hinges are the toe joints

of dinosaurs.

I shall surf on my box

on the great high-rolling breaks of the wild Atlantic,

then wash ashore on a yellow beach

the colour of the sun.

Kit Wright

I used this poem many times when I was a primary school teacher and the children always loved it and made good use of it to develop their own imaginative poetry and metaphor and simile work.

Metaphor and imagery are such powerful tools in Counselling.

I was introduced to the idea of a first aid box during personal counselling once and have used it to good effect with clients since, so now I'd like to share it with you.

Close your eyes and relax.

Imagine a box - give it a shape, colour, texture, material, size ...

but it is a magic box - like Mary Poppins bag - and will hold anything you need to put inside.

Start to fill your box with things that will help you when you feel low ...

they may be real things and people, or they may be metaphors for these ..

... if you would like to accept it - I will start you off with an acorn - a seed that contains all it needs to grow and flourish within itself - and will grow into a strong and mighty oak tree.

You can add anything to your box whenever you find something that makes you feel good ...

and you can open it and look at the things inside anytime you like or need to ...

Enjoy!