photographs of past lives stare out from the wall
vacant moments, smiles long past
an arm around an old friend, dead years back,
picture of a saint who holds my heart in her eyes
black and white family group of three, I never met
drawings my young niece has sent in the post
and pictures of just about eclectic as can be
all break up the orange and lemon painted walls
the ones I painted five years ago, five years
these walls have held back the world from entering
kept me safe from the winter storms, and will do so again.