Whispers of Cardboard Dreams

 

In the quiet corners of a forgotten neighborhood,

Where asphalt memories crumble underfoot,

Lives a boy, nameless yet resilient,

Wrapped in the tattered cloak of innocence.

He doesn’t know the weight of his generational struggle,

Only that school is a maze of whispered taunts,

His backpack, a burden of dreams and empty pockets,

And hunger gnaws at the edges of his existence.

Bullies prowl like shadows, watching for weakness,

Their laughter echoing through the hallways,

But he stands tall, a sapling in a storm,

Unaware that courage blooms from the cracked soil.

His mother, a silent hero with calloused hands,

Weaves love into every frayed thread of their story,

Two jobs, two worlds—the sun and the moon,

Her sacrifice, a lullaby sung to the stars.

She leaves before dawn, kisses him on the forehead,

And he wakes to an empty room, a cardboard kingdom,

Legos? No, but yet his imagination knows no bounds,

He builds castles from flattened boxes and hope.

Each crease, a drawbridge to a distant realm,

Where he dons armor woven from moonlight,

A knight in shining cardboard, defender of dreams,

His mother, the queen he vows to protect.

He dreams of jousting with windmills,

Of feasts where laughter spills like a golden meadow,

And in the quiet of night, he whispers to God,

“Grant me strength, for my mother deserves a kingdom.”

But reality knocks, relentless as the spring rain,

And he sells candy bars after school,

Not for video games or Netflix movies,

But for toilet paper and bread—the currency of survival.

His castle walls may crumble, but not his spirit,

For cardboard dreams are fortified with resilience,

And when hunger bites, he bites back,

A young knight battling the dragons of circumstance.

He imagines a life beyond these cracked sidewalks and the empty apartment,

Where the moon becomes a silver goblet, not a mere observer of the boy’s plight,

And one day, he’ll ride forth on a cardboard steed,

To rescue his mother from the dungeons of exhaustion.

Generational poverty? He doesn’t speak its name,

But he knows its taste—the bitter tang of missed meals,

Yet he dreams, oh how fiercely he dreams,

Of a castle where love reigns, and cardboard turns to gold.

He lies in an empty room, imagining that he slumbers under the stars.

His cardboard armor folded neatly by his side,

A sentinel of hope, guarding the fragile night,

Whispering to the moon, “Soon, my queen, soon.”

“Whispers of Cardboard Dreams”, they’ll call it,

A tale spun from moonbeams and hunger,

For in the heart of this boy, his potential unfurls,

And the world, in its ceaseless turning, the boy remains unseen.

© 2024 Jeff Newton written for a poverty workshop

Let’s delve into the symbolism within the poem “Whispers of Cardboard Dreams”:

Cardboard: The recurring theme of cardboard represents both fragility and resilience. Cardboard is an everyday material, often discarded and overlooked. In the context of the poem, it symbolizes the boy’s circumstances—his poverty, struggles, and the makeshift nature of his dreams. Yet, within this fragility, there’s strength. The cardboard becomes a canvas for imagination, a vessel for hope, and a testament to the human spirit’s ability to create beauty from adversity.

Empty Room: The boy’s empty room signifies not only physical emptiness but also emotional emptiness. It’s a space the lack of comfort, stability, and parental presence. Yet, it’s within this emptiness that his imagination flourishes. The room becomes a universe—a place where he constructs castles, battles dragons, and dreams of a better life.

Mother: The boy’s mother represents sacrificial love. Her calloused hands represent hard work and sacrifice. She weaves love into their story, stitching together the things needed for their survival. She is the silent hero, leaving before dawn, kissing him on the forehead, and providing the foundation for his dreams. Her love is both tangible (the frayed threads) and spiritual (sung to the stars). She could also represent God who is caring for the boy in ways he cannot see or even understand.

Knight in Cardboard Armor: The boy’s cardboard armor represents several things. It’s his defense against bullies (symbolizing adversity), but it’s also a metaphor for the resilience that he wears daily.

The knight represents courage, determination, and the refusal to give up to his circumstances. His cardboard steed hints at mobility—the hope that one day he’ll ride beyond his current limitations.

Moon and Stars: Heavenly imagery found throughout the poem. The moon becomes a silver goblet, suggesting nourishment and abundance. It’s not merely an observer but an active participant in the boy’s journey. The stars represent dreams, wishes, and the vastness of possibility. The boy whispers to them, seeking strength and guidance. The boy also prays to God which says he has some sort of faith. The heavenly body points to God who created the moon and the stars as well as the boy.

Hunger: The gnawing hunger symbolizes both lack of physical good and the yearning for more—a hunger for a life beyond poverty. It’s a universal human experience, and the boy’s resilience in the face of hunger underscores his determination.

Cracked Sidewalks: The sidewalks, cracked and worn, reflect the boy’s life--broken and cracked. They represent the limitations imposed by his environment. Yet, he imagines a life beyond them, where the moon isn’t distant but within reach.

Castle: The cardboard castle is his refuge, a place of escape in his imagination. It’s where he transforms adversity into adventure. Castles traditionally symbolize power, protection, and dreams. In this case, it points to the boy’s inner strength.

Jousting with Windmills: A nod to Don Quixote(thank you Mrs. Eulaine Delgado my high school Spanish teacher who introduced us to this book), this allusion represents the boy’s idealism. He fights battles that others might dismiss as hopeless. It’s a reminder that sometimes our greatest fight is internal—battles against despair, injustice, and hopelessness.

Generational Struggle: The weight he doesn’t fully comprehend symbolizes the legacy of poverty, passed down through generations. His innocence shields him from the full impact, but it’s a burden he carries, nonetheless.

In summary, “Cardboard Dreams” weaves together everyday objects (cardboard, an empty room) with Heavenly elements (moon, stars) to tell a story of resilience, love, and the transformative power of imagination. It invites readers to recognize beauty in the ordinary, find strength in vulnerability, and dream beyond their circumstances. It is also designed to help the reader understand the struggle of generational poverty as it affects boys. I am trying to bring to light the fact that poverty is passed down from generation to generation and is hard to break out of. Boys in poverty tend to protect their mother at all costs. They feel like they need to be the "provider" which is why he sells candy bars to help his mother.