Walls Have Ears

We were told walls have ears So we were advised to speak In low soft whispers, Lest our neighbours would hear. We were told the night Should only be graced in low volumes As the silent night could give us out While our voices could jump fences, Or connect with the walls of neighbours miles away. Our walls became our enemies How can a wall that was supposed To be a barrier between us and our neighbours Cave-in to our words in the silence of the night? So we were frightened to speak For fear that our neighbours May have their ears glued to the wall. Those were times when we spoke ill Or make some ranting on our neighbours’ attitude. Walls do have ears We could hear our neighbours Sometimes lashing out at their children, Sometimes we could hear wives- Cursing their cheating husbands. In the silence of the night When our neighbours talked or laughed It must be all about us, And when names were being mentioned They sounded like they were ours. They say words do jump fences, Oro a ma fo gana So do not speak foul of those you share walls with Do not mention their names in the dead of the night. Since walls do have ears I still wonder how it was- Able to talk and not just listen. © Ayinla Muyideen Adeleke