Walls

Walls of stone and walls of brick, Some walls thin and some walls thick, Walls so high and walls so low, Walls to hide and walls to show. Walls quite short and walls quite tall, Some walls, last well, some walls fall, Walls for comfort, walls of hate, Walls for security, walls ornate. Some as a barricade, some to support, Walls of wood and walls of iron wrought, Walls as a barrier, walls to enclose, Some are to sit on, some to lean and doze. Walls we build ourselves, these aren't good, Walls for privacy, walls that have stood, So many years through weather foul or fine, Walls, that are yours, walls that are mine. Brick by brick they are built to last, Whether built now or in the past, They shelter us from so many things, And shield us from whatever this life brings. © Ernestine Northover