WALLS

I build walls:
Walls that protect,
Walls that shield,
Walls that say I shall not yield
Or reveal
Who I am or how I feel.

I build walls:
Walls that hide,
Walls that cover what’s inside,
Walls that stare or smile or look away,
Silent lies,
Walls that even block my eyes
From the tears I might have cried.

I build walls:
Walls that never let me
Truly touch
Those I love so very much.
Walls that need to fall!
Walls meant to be fortresses
Are prisons after all.

- Anonymous


In this poem, the walls are not made of bricks or stones or anything physical. The author uses “walls” as a metaphor... a symbolism of a coping mechanism that we humans project in order not to get hurt.

As I was going through the poem for the second time, questions flashed and reflection followed. It is not my intent to share in details my realisations, but I want to share the questions that popped in my mind. Those questions that led me to a deep sense of personal introspection.


Why would someone build “walls” around his or her feelings?

Do you, or others you know, ever build such “walls”?

Does the narrator believe that it’s always a good idea to have these “walls”? How do you know?

Do you think that there are times when we need to “build walls”?

ESCAPE

All living things struggle to survive. In doing so, they have developed characteristics that help them to stay alive.

One of the defense mechanisms among animals is the speedy escape. Sometimes the best way to keep out of danger is to be away from an environment that can harm them. Fish swim fast, birds flap their wings to fly away,horses and four legged creatures run when they sense a potential threat.

Humans, being living creatures that they are, do have their way of escape.

When the responsibility is too much and they can no longer handle the situation or the tasks at hand, there are people who escape and figuratively evaporate into thin air.

When serious problems occur, there are people who divert their focus. They resort to eating, sleeping, drinking and even fooling around. Anything would do as long as they free their minds from the grueling experience that trials bring.

There are those who just pretend that everything is ok even though it is not.Sometimes when they are in pain, they put on masks.They think and hope that problems will just pass by and eventually leave them.

There are times when the situation can hurt them, they move to a safer sanctuary. There are times when others can possibly hurt them, they become distant and cold.

Escape as a way of survival can save one's life, but there will be times they will fall, get hurt, and get caught. There will be times they can escape and survive for a day but still the cycle of running away continues. There will be times they can no longer hide the hurt so they easily break down and shatter into pieces.

There will really come a time that there will be no place to run and the best solution to do is face the threat, the situation and the fear.This will require enormous courage, but somebody has to do what he has got to do. It's all in the name of survival.