Walls Poem by Mary Maxwell

We all build walls.
Strong, thick, unyielding walls.
With every hateful word and angry quarrel,
Every falsehood and broken trust and heartbreak
We lay another stone.

Be mindful, my friend, when building those walls.
Don’t build so strong, or so high that you can no longer see
The sun or the stars; that you can no longer feel the rain and the wind.
I fear you’ll deny yourself the taste of tears and the warmth of
A lover’s breath in your mouth.

Without a door, my love, your walls become your prison.