Friday, April 24, 2009

My Own Private Jericho




Ever punch a wall in frustration? I have. The wall wins, every time. Walls do what they are supposed to do, which is, stand there, holding up roofs. They are inanimate, and are designed to stay put for a long time. They get decorated, painted, and sometimes patched up, but mostly they are just the things around us, closing us off from the world.

If walls could speak… Well, they can’t. Neither can the flies on them. Walls don’t have very good problem-solving skills. They may whisper ‘punch me… kick me… bash your forehead against me…’ in the middle of a stressful time, but usually they maintain a stony silence- much the same as you will if you chose the Glasgow Kiss option. (Alright! A GK is a headbutt).

Walls don’t move, but they can close in on you. If you are sick, immobile, or depressed, they can crush you like the garbage compactor in Star Wars. They can be sinister sentries, utterly still, but menacing in that stillness.

Walls can be beautiful. Or run-down. Walls can enclose a loving family, or conceal a criminal. Walls can smother the screams of the abused, or echo the laughter at a family gathering. Walls are best with windows in them, so that light can enter, and darkness escape. Walls keep summer out and winter in.
Walls surround birth, and enclose death.

Cheerful, eh? Guess I have a little cabin fever after solo-parenting for nine weeks. I’m hoping to go for a long walk tomorrow, the only walls being the ones in my head, which will be pummelled with the mallet of relaxation, until I can see the sun streaming through the clouds again.

Nine days till Neen returns.

10 comments:

  1. Hmm v deep stuff that soliloquy on walls. I quite liked it. Then again I am in rather a depressive kinda mood. Run free, free as the wind and all that and don't forget the wine. Rambling? Yes perhaps I am.

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  2. is winter approaching in your neck of the woods? it sounds like it.

    Take care.

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  3. @Divinebee: Got wine, tick. But being very conservative this weekend. Will not run, but amble, maybe. Enjoy SW, see ya Monday.
    @brandy101: You picking up that I am seasonally depressed? There was sun today, so it's Autumn- hot and cold. You guys are heading for Spring- I am a little jealous. Thanks for popping byyyyy.

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  4. Very poetic... but maybe take that walk today. Take the kids with you. Let them touch the bark on the trees and put rocks in their pocket and get some fresh air.

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  5. @Briane P: They will get out this weekend, but with me tomorrow morning- my Father-in-Law is coming to look after them to allow me some time out. I do regularly hear bashing sounds from the washing machine, and find rocks in their pockets...

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  6. Walls. I'll never look at one the same again. Hope the fresh air blows the cobwebs away.

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  7. Nine weeks? NINE?!? I think if that were me, the walls surrounding me should better be padded.

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  8. @SMP: I guarantee you'll get sick of them too. They just seem to be all over the place. Gonna blast those cobwebs.
    @Abby: The first few weeks were ok, but it is starting to wear me out.. Best I escape for the children's sake. Mmmmm. A padded cell sounds comfortable and peaceful. That's how bad it is.

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  9. Woah... it sounds like you could use a walk every day!

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  10. I'm too tired to walk after five pm... crawling into that bed...

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