Life Without Borders

The walls appeared suddenly,
their bricks made of words,
their mortar of silence.

The isolation imposed a misted hush
that enveloped her completely.
She wore no orange or stripes,

she was invisible even to herself.
Each time she closed her eyes
she could smell the new masonry

that stood without doors
but also without a ceiling.
Perhaps it was not a prison,

instead it was a way station
on a journey still to be written
in the air where words floated

beyond her grasp and sometimes
beyond her comprehension.
She sat for a millennia pondering

what she had done to bring her to this place.
She lived on memories of meaning and
on meaningless thoughts that would hijack

emotions, logic, purpose, and stamina.
It wasn't until she was able to clip
these ruminations from her mind

that the haze of oppression lifted
so she might grow wings and fly
from this solidly constructed bunker,

built apart from her consciousness,
even though it had been engineered
by her own regret and self-loathing.

She had wasted too much time
reading the chapters already penned.
It was time to push past the blocks

and create a future where
failure was not a life sentence
it was merely a lesson,

but only if she allowed it to be,
because mistakes are the nutrients
in the soil from which we all grow.

Reviews

[kitty]

Life and the experiences we encounter may cause us to build 'walls of protection' in a 'self preservation' scenario. Thank you for sharing this profound piece relatable in kind to many of us. Have a good week end

[BlackRose]

How we all can relate on some level. The thoughts of how, why, what did one do to deserve this. Bound by what the questions looking for answers too. Superb piece. One I at points in life related or maybe now depending relate to.

[emmajoy]

Tis good to see you here again... are you merely popping in or staying a while. So hope the latter.

Smiles and blessings whichever your answer. x

[icelandicblue]

Hi Emma! It's nice to see you as well. I hope to get back to writing again soon.

[icelandicblue]

I'm sorry your profile is closed Emma. I will miss your work. Come round now and again please.

[emmajoy]

I closed cos of 'ill health' - am around more often now. Thanks for missing me.. and yes, please write and post when you can.. your poetry has always been rich and ever re.readable. :)

[icelandicblue]

I hope things are better emma.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

It's been a long while since I read your words. As ever, they are poignant, honest, and relatable. Bravo!

[icelandicblue]

Hi Linda! How lovely to see you, and thank you.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

A flowing and easy to read piece full of appropriate metaphoric images. Many can relate to it in its thought provoking tenor as we all construct walls of some type or other around us.

[icelandicblue]

What you say about the walls we construct is very true. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment.

[Island Hippy]

Aloha icelandicblue, very powerful poetry, sad confronting truths. Many fine lines to digest. I do love your closing words, there's healing in the realization. Izzy

[icelandicblue]

Thank you so much for your thoughts. I appreciate it.

[Island Hippy]

You're welcome

[Coyote Poetry]

Walls and border. We have too many already.
"that the haze of oppression lifted
so she might grow wings and fly
from this solidly constructed bunker,"
I understand the words above. We can make self-made walls. Thank you dear friend for sharing your amazing poetry.
Coyote

[icelandicblue]

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this piece.

[Coyote Poetry]

I always enjoy your work. Have fun and be safe.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

after a couple failed relationships, it is easy to blame ourselves for the silence....we wonder what we did to build that wall..forgetting that it takes two to build walls or to tear them down...or to keep them from happening in the first place...

it is hard when the other becomes distant...i have experienced this enough times to know---and that uncomfortable silence usually spells the end of the novel is coming soon.

j.

[1VJ]

I could sense the tension building then a slow release, we tend to build our own walls but it may be necessary for self-preservation. Mistakes don't feel like nutrients when they've occurred, but in hindsight, they're always a lesson in life. Such well designed poetry. Bravo.

[Kho-San]

This is not so much a review, I don't think I am capable of employing the mental rigorousness to do that at the moment, but simple musings on what went on in my mind as I read this.

I clicked on this expecting something about refugees. It was actually what made me click.
I could not help but think, as I read, of the moment these words were born. Were they first laid down on paper, I wondered. Was it a pen...a darkened room, maybe. Late at night? Or perhaps in the early hours of morn. Were you shivering with emotion, did the words just erupt? Maybe you jumped out of bed and rushed for your notebook or anything so that the words can find an outlet.

Or were they thought out and calculated. Maybe you sat down and decided you wished to write these words. Or any words.

This poem brought to mind an older lady, sat on the floor, hunched over her little book while writing away. It also brought to mind another image, of a well-refined old lady, sat on her desk, writing away. And for one reason or another, the words and meanings brought to mind Pink Floyd's 'The Wall'.

I don't often respond to poems submitted here, but this poem evoked some kind of response. Thank you for sharing.

[icelandicblue]

Ah, these words ruminated and swirled for years due to circumstances I always believed were beyond my control, but to my final conclusion were a prison of my own making. The poem was created quickly because the emotions had had so long to come together, and like old friends they were strong enough to reveal truths I could not reveal to myself. I have not been onlne for quite a long time so I apologize for the delay in the response.