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I wrote The Boy in the Box in 1998. It was another gray day in Graymoor, Illinois, and the
first Passover we celebrated without Dad who left to find Utopia. The kids and I were
gloomy. Suddenly a sentence popped into my head, in English and Hebrew, 'He sat in the
box טקשו ףופש', 'He sat in the closet quiet and still’. As I wrote it down, a flood of images
and verses came pouring out, and the story came alive. It was the first poem I wrote in
English. I finished a few hours later, made simple drawings, printed a copy and then left it
sitting in a box. For years, I planned to publish it, but for one reason or another it was
delayed until now.

A few months ago, while talking to my friend the gifted composer, Jonathan Ostlund, I was
reminded of the story and shared it with him. His enthusiasm sparked me to freshen up
the art, translate the story to Hebrew, and to finally bring the Boy out of the Box into the
light. Thank you, Jonathan!

Special 'Thank-You' to Carol Lieberman, Irene Jung, David Proud and all my friends for
their encouragement; and to my son Asaf, my guiding light, who inspires me to try harder
and fly higher.

The Boy in the Box is a parable for children and adults. In its essence, it is a story about
each of us. We create our reality with our thoughts, our outlook, the words and choices we
make. They all add up to the journey we call our life. Change your thoughts—change your
life. But thoughts are not enough. Action is essential! As Rabbi Hillel teaches us: ‘If I am
not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now,
when?’

I hope my story will inspire you to look in your box, the thoughts in your head, to step out
with a song in your heart and make life a magical journey.

Kira

July 4, 2021 | OC, California

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