The Wall That Once Was There
Before the living room wall came crashing down.
I sat in the living room as a child and frowned.
Reading in the dark and studying in the dark,
Hearing my dad say “turn on the light in there.”
Flickers the switch on and now I can see!
Wondering why I wear glasses; now I know.
Leaning against the wall and doing handstands.
Stretching firmly against the wall, a Yogi.
The living room was a playground for us kids.
Our pet parakeets flew, grasping with their claws,
Sinking their sharp beaks and chipping at the wall.
Before the living wall room wall came crashing down
My dad said, “I would have been a great carpenter.”
He sure was right like a right-handed person.
Boom! Now, the living room wall crashes downwards
Crumbling down in one direction it goes.
Dust everywhere and on everyone, like flour
My dad was a builder, and a contractor he was
My mother, sister, and I surprised, we stand.
The wall once stood, dust particles in its place
“What have you done? “, we ask and he reassures.
“I told you I would have been a carpenter,
No wall constricting us, and we all have more space”.
Copyright © Rukhsana Afridi | Year Posted 2021
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