Within These Walls

By: Clarisa Yee

Time flew by, a clock that never stopped

The hours become days and the days became weeks

A new due date 

One after another

A different Saturday night 

Plans come and go. 

During the day I walked among crowds 

Our shoulders never touching 

As we walk individual paths 

Every day was different

And that I missed the most 

The time before I was confined 

Behind these walls of mine.

Change came swiftly before I had time to register 

Quick being replaced with slow 

Time that trickled on a different mode

These walls didn’t bother me at first.

It was nice to be on my own 

Alone in my room 

Confined to four walls  

A safe space that kept the danger at bay.

I had more time than I did before

In the company of family that I missed 

When I was away from home 

A comfort that also came from exploring 

Hobbies I wouldn’t have done before.

On some days these walls became a theater 

Rom coms and dramas that played all night 

If I wanted to watch more.

On some days these walls became my cave 

Where I’ve watched lectures underneath warm covers

Or slept for as long as I wanted.

But it wasn’t before long before these walls

Had me thinking even more 

A time of solitude with me, myself, and I 

Inevitable as I nitpicked the things I didn’t like 

Strange loneliness crept up

Worry and anxiety became my worst enemies 

The world was scarier now 

With these walls barring me from it all 

There were highs and there were lows 

But it’s within these walls

That I’ve found time to care 

For the friend I’ve neglected most - myself

Now I’ve finally found

Peace in the storms that formed

From being in solitude for too long.