Walls

• Mariam Elshweikh, Grade 9
• Poetry
• 2021

You can't grow petunias in narrow shoeboxes, they need full sun.
You can try but they only flourish in groups of more than one.
They need freedom and space and they don’t just settle.
In loneliness, they might grow depressed and pluck off their petals.

You shouldn't plant them indoors, they don't like confined walls,
They’ll lose color and their screams will echo in the halls.
Don’t be strict about their freedom, or they grow hard to maintain.
Don't force them into pots, they belong in open plains.

You can't grow petunias in narrow shoe boxes, trust me, I've tried.
They wept like children, and their rivers of hope dried.
They grew restless and walked out of their pots,
Broke down the flimsy walls and tied me up with knots.

Petunias can't bloom in windowless rooms,
They can't flourish alone, in dark places like tombs.
In places so small, petunias will die,
They can't grow in confinement, and neither can I.