if walls could talk they'd have a lot to say.
if you punctured their plaster facade the emotions and memories they've absorb would burst forth.
if walls could talk they'd tell you a story
of every heart break they've witnessed
every birth
every death
every last word that no one was around to hear.
if walls could talk
they'd show you all the hard work behind every legend
every good deed unrewarded
and every bad one unpunished.
if walls could talk
they would make you feel every unreciprocated emotion they had to experience
every goodbye, hello, scraped knee, cheated on, failed test tear
every mirror pep talk
every practiced make out with the pimply 12 year old boys hand.
if walls could talk
they would make you feel bad for blowing that girl off one time
because they would tell you about how she spent the rest of the night
and the next 2 years
 alone.
 in her bed crying and eating frosting
they would ruin every fantasy you ever had about girls at sleepovers
and tell you that you were right, your parents having sex is just as disgusting as you imagined.
if walls could talk
they'd grab you by the hand just so they could feel what it was like
what they'd seen in every chick flick they'd been forced to endure
they would tell you to wash them off
to spray down all the dirt and grime and life they'd patiently sat through.
if walls would talk they would say
"i remember the day of the freedom walk
i wept tears of joy and sorrow that day
and those tears came in the form of pepper spray and blood
dripping down my sturdy sturdy foundation"
if walls could talk
they would ponder whether it was right to tell you your husband cheated
that your son was pilfering alcohol from your blatantly unlocked cabinet
that your daughter was hiding razor blades just in case
that your cat hadn't really run away but been hit by the neighbor.
if walls could talk
they could tell tales of watching Mikael Baryshnikov make his first turn
or Usain Bolt take his first steps
of Beethoven first sitting down at the piano
or Aretha Franklin first opening her mouth
but if walls could talk would they really take the time to brag
or to hurt people?
walls were made to be strong, stand up, and hold everything together
if walls could talk
only for the briefest moment
they'd turn to you and say
i've been shaken to my foundation
many a time before
yet i still stand here before you
and i always will.