To Break the Four Walls

Photo by Kevin Balisalisa

To Break the Four Walls

By: Nethaniah Lim and Abby Gail Tiongson

Trapped in these four walls,
Whilst the streets aren’t bustling,
Trapped in these four walls,
Clouds of dust start to form.

Trapped in these four walls,
I’m couched down.
Trapped in these four walls,
We differ.

Others in an apartment,
Others in a condo,
Others in a house,
Others in a ghetto,

In times of uncertainty,
I lay awake anxiously.
Can anybody please help me?
When will I be truly free?

I can’t bear the silence.
I can’t stand the pain.
I can’t see the balance.
Why can’t I explain?

Piling up school requirements,
Unending house chores,
Overwhelming expectations,
Dwindling motivation.

I try to brush things off,
Even though it’s not enough.
Thoughts bobbed on the surface.
They saw my contorted face.

I don’t know when it happened.
I don’t know when they heard.
I thought I was trapped alone.

Then, I remembered I was at home.

Trapped in these four walls,
Was not so bad after all.
I have my kinsmen within the walls,
Whom I can share my all.

They gave me refuge behind these doors.
Forlorn wasn’t haunting me anymore.
The grayness of days was now fading away,
All because of their willingness to stay.