safe within the brick wall

to you, it’s a brick wall, but to me
it's strength in numbers
a cumulation of lonely
separate but strong minds
cemented together
in the hope, their separate strength
will disappear and meld into one
a unified group meeting
of single and lonely minds
 stuck together like glue
inseparable
the closeness is overwhelming
creating a close bond
between alike friends
they are inseparable and unbreakable
 
pieced together for a purpose
they create a whole unit
a working together of separate
lonely but strong minds, sitting side by side
a brick to the left, and a brick to the right
above, below and behind
there is no way I would ever crumble
to the floor or break
I am defined by strength in numbers
I am a standing foundation
of many like-minded pieces, brick upon brick
I am stronger than I’ve ever been
a block of bricks
and a solid foundation of strength
 
now that I am one, many hundred bricks
I will stand in your way
protect you from outside intruders
be a strong stand
a place where a cat can walk along
take a stroll, before jumping to the pavement
hopefully, she won’t get hurt
as she leaves my side
I am a strong stand for a cat or a bird
a place of safety, for cats and birds
they walk proudly on me
and they understand
I am their strong stand
which will never let them fall
I will never push them away
accepting of their easily loving ways
I will just be there
and when they wish to leave me
I won’t cry
 looking with all my brick strength
awaiting them again
to stand on my safe platform of a wall
 
unified in numbers, I feel safe and content
knowing that nobody can break me
I am standing strong, and proud
 fearless in a world
these many bricks make me strong
 I am stronger
then I have ever been
 
I used to be one hell of a lonely brick
a single and disconnected brick
but one day a builder gave me a home
alike friends to look after me
he decided that he wanted
to build something ever so strong
so, he picked me up
brushed off the stupid bits of dirt
which had stayed there
 lingering after so many years
of being left on the ground
with nobody noticing me
he picked me up
 he wanted to build a brick wall
and he didn’t have enough bricks
I appeared and there he was
smiling,  finally, he could make himself
a protective shield around his home,
I was the last brick that he needed
and he pieced me inside
a strong and healthy brick wall
 
now that I was a part of something real
a part of something whole
I had a purpose and alongside
my many strong and handy friends
I lived with a purpose
 protected by my brick friends
part of a wall which stopped intruders
part of a wall
which became home
to many a cat and a bird
 
people think that a brick wall
 is an obstacle, in your mind
and if you are struggling
unable to move past
that which is hurting you
you think to yourself
there is a stupid brick wall
in my way, I can’t move past it
I can’t climb over, clamber on top
and reach the other side
too hard to pull on up
 no footsteps to catch me
and if I suddenly decide to fall
how do I pull myself on up
what if I indeed knock my knees
or suddenly lose my grip
and fall to the pavement
too upset to now try again
to beat the brick wall, in my way
knees bruised, and hands irritated
by the feel of the stupid wall
upon the feel of my soft skin
haven’t got the strength to try
not again, it’s too much to try
and pull myself on up
over that brick wall
too dangerous, too difficult
 so much easier with a foothold
 
 some people think I am part
of something seemingly ugly
and modern looking
 an ugly and odd brick amongst many more
ugly and odd bricks, having a purpose
 a brick wall, nothing beautiful
 to catch within our eyesight
we would rather look at a flower
or the sky, or the sun
then a brown-red brick wall
 a structure, a built-up thing
made by the hands of a builder
why would anybody look at me
 
now that I am part of a wall
 if I am one brick amongst many
then, quite likely
 I will fade into the background
maybe I will be hiding in the middle
and the ones at the front are visible
 and the back, they are apparent
 but I am hiding and, in the middle,
and even though I am not seen
 oh, I am still part of something
ever so strong, ever so unbreakable
 a part of a whole
one amongst many
hundred alike brick wall friends
 
If I wasn’t here, it would be incomplete
there would be a part of the puzzle missing
 a strong foundation
with a single piece missing
so, I realize as I sit here
amongst like minded bricks
that I really am part of something
so strong, so real, so whole
so much strength around me
once a lonely and dirty brick
nothing can get to me, not within this wall
I am in the middle and forever will I be safe
forever will I be protected
forever will I be safe
 there is no fear in my mind
no vulnerability
as I am protected by the bricks
above me, behind me and in front of me
I’ve no need to fear as I sit here
fixed to pieces with glue, I am safe
fear doesn’t even exist when I am sitting
safe, protected by my alike
and protective friends
 
 I used to be a brick who felt sad
wanted a home, wanted to be a part
of something whole, but now that I am
 I can smile to myself and realize
 I am one of many strong
I have friends who care for me
friends who will protect me
 from this harsh and bad and frightening world
nothing will ever get to me again
because I am part of a brick wall
I just sometimes wish, sometimes I wish
 I was the one on the top
the one to feel the cat’s paw linger
 upon my wanting surface
the one to feel the little bird’s feet perch
 and gently take me in
the one to take in the world
 not just exist and feel safe
but the one on the top
who can feel strong, regardless
of having no other bricks
upon her surface
 to protect her from pain
and the sometimes
harsh and frightening world
she so often finds herself in
 
the brick, this girl
she wishes with all her heart
to be a brick
on the top of the wall
the one who can reveal itself
and never fear the world
seemingly strong and exposed
weathered skin
she could take in the cat’s paws
sensations of her soft, friendly kindness
she could feel
the bird’s little feet perch lightly
upon her exposed surface
she could feel the wind and the rain
the sun and the breeze
and she could see everything
girls walking down the road
people riding their bicycles
and laughing with their friends
noises of loud music
making her feel alive
rain showering
 upon her hard brick surface
telling her that she is alive!
hail bouncing, never disintegrating
never to enter her mind
the hail would bounce down
and ever so quickly bounce up again
 
she could have a skin which was strong
 but she would be able to feel
 nothing could hurt her
not the hail, not the thunder, or lightning
or the bees with their stinging stings
after all, bees are interested in flowers
she would never receive a sting from this world
floundering of hail would never make her cry
her strong and hardy nature
safe to be, the one of the top
safe to be exposed
safe in the hands of the wind
and the overflowing rain
pouring down on her unbreakable skin
wishing to be strong and part of this world
unable to break, unable to fall
and disintegrate, fall apart, Into nothingness
 
she is a brick which quite often feels strong
because others are surrounding her
but what if she was on top and her world fell apart
what if she got the chance to change positions
 with another brick, and stand on top, would she fall apart
would she be one of those bricks who wasn’t strong
a different brick in this world
one who was not formed properly
a brick with not as much strength
 
what if she was made differently
what if her foundations were a skew whiff
and what if she was out of whack
something was wrong with her skin, her solid form
what if she was different, what would she do, placed on the top
to fall apart and crumble, fall away
because she was just too weak for this world
not strong enough, different
a black sheep in a field of white
made to be different, made to disintegrate
what would she do If she exposed herself to the world
and she fell, again, what would she do then
and this is her fear, what if she is simply not strong enough
what if she fails, crumbles and falls
maybe she wasn’t made to be strong
maybe she was made to fall
maybe that is why she disintegrated
Into bits so much of the time
 
 what if she felt strong enough but realized
when her position changed,
that the world was still out to get her
strength was not enough, what would she do then
what if she was made to fall
maybe she is made for the top of this wall
or maybe she isn’t, I’m not even sure anymore
I don’t know, she doesn’t really want to hide
but she wants to feel protected
so, for now, maybe, just maybe
her place is safely within, the hundred-bricked wall