She knows the rules of this love game off by heart,
Contents within the cardboard box confines,
The plastic packaging keeping her safe and in place,
No enthusiastic shaking from the outside can dislodge a single item.

But inside,
Inside the box,
She causes mischief,
A misplaced piece substituted awkwardly,
A wrongly folded rule sheet,
A rip in a playing card,
A weighted dice,
A swear word scrawled,
Pieces in the wrong places.

Sabotaging for personal gain,
Disregarding temporarily the personal loss,
The thrill of naughtiness,
Disobeying the rules,
The knowing smile from both parties,
Push a little, push, push, stop,
Tidy up and put away,
A stern look,
A short sharp reminder,
No game playing the game states.