Seen and unseen

Some walls we see,

some walls we don’t.

Some walls we build,

stack brick by brick,

lay stone on stone,

I-beam, concrete,

reinforced steel,

and string with care

across the top:

concertina.

Some walls we build

on lines unreal,

yet drawn on maps;

ancient divides:

this part is ours –

this part, not yours;

belonging marked

with spikes of steel.

Some walls we build

seeking safety,

striving to find

security

through what we touch:

height, depth, and strength

topped by razors

on coils of steel.

Some walls we build

to know who’s in         

and who is out,

to show who has

and who has not:

divisions made

and  then enforced

through wire with barbs.

Some walls we build

on lines that lie

within ourselves:

gender, class, creed,

nation, sex, race;

diversity

judged and measured

by devil’s rope

Some walls we see,

some walls we don’t.

Inspiration for this poem came from the reflection Unveiling the Barbed Wire Divide by Theresa Cho.

30 May 2011
New York, New York