If These Walls Could Talk

If these walls could talk
Forever stories would be told
Generations old and fragile
Or those yet to bloom
Years of rivalry
Fads, economic fluctuations, wars
Still they remain silenced and muzzled
By floral paper and photographs

If these walls could talk
Secrets would be shared
For a wall is a diary of time
They see all weather
Stand through anger, sorrow, and passion
Remain through hate, joy, and repeating reunions
Of the creatures within their boundaries

If these walls could talk
A new friend would no longer be Invisible
A chief sitting at a fire
Face illuminated by the glow
With fragile hands and child's eyes
Feathers tall and proud
We all re-live the tales

If these walls could talk
Would they Or would they remain a muted statue
Memories fade like the twilight mist
New dawn lingers
Ears alert
Awaiting in silence

If these walls could talk
Lean close and listen
You might hear a child's high-pitched scream
As they bump an elbow or scrape a knee
You might hear the joyous newly weds
Or the tears of a funeral
You might hear yourself

If these walls could talk

-- By Kelly Simpson --
Dedicated to L.M.D.
December 96