He wants to put his head
inside a cardboard box
to keep him company.
But it’s problematic.

Getting the right-sized
carton is proving difficult
because they make
them for hats not heads,
and he tumbles and thuds
inside every one he’s tried
so far, bruising him ugly.

Then there’s matter
of which side to face up
since sometimes he
doesn’t want to look
him in the eyes when they talk
and at other times he wants
to pull him out by the hair
and pretend it’s his birthday.

And the cardboard is weak
and the bottom keeps
getting so soggy that the head
is like an upside-down
jack-in-the-box
but it isn’t as fun.

So he has to use a liner
but it crackles inside
and this inexplicably
disturbs him.

After he finally finds
a good enough box
he mails the head
to himself just for kicks
but it never arrives
and after awhile
the postman smiles
too much for a man
delivering his replacement
without a box to keep it in.