By Mathuri Sivanesan
I close my eyes and wander aimlessly, Wondrously unbalanced. I let myself take me wherever I feel, Wherever I’m set to go. I do not wait for a whistle, A light, A signal, For it is I who directs my direction. I follow myself.
But soon I’ll start hearing whispers, And open my eyes. Rigidly positioned, I stand up straight — Spinal cord lining up the North to South.
My arms become a compass That is mastered by the master. These tendrils no longer belong to me.
I am bound by an invisible thread To a master I cannot see, Hearing his voice following me.
I try to escape, Climbing up and up. I reach out for grass, But find a fifty foot wall at the top.
Mathuri Sivanesan is a South Asian female born and raised in Scarborough, ON who uses storytelling to explore topics of equality and free will. “The Wall” establishes the impending effects racist political agendas have on geographical borders by alluding to the political climate of the United States. Despite being a free-willed individual, the speaker is inevitably trapped by a wall built on cultural misconceptions and hatred that destroys the speaker’s autonomy both, literally and metaphorically.
Photo credit: Jon Tyson
