Ilse Pedler
The Other Side of the Wall
Their olive trees are now outside the wall.
Their sheep graze on the other side of the wall.
They watch their land return to desert,
because their wells are on the other side of the wall.
Every day they queue at checkpoints
to get to their jobs on the other side of the wall.
Their children have nowhere to learn when their
schools are on the other side of the wall.
Do you stop looking into each other’s eyes
when all you see is a reflection of the wall?
Does food become bitter in your mouth when all
you can see from the cafe window is the wall?
Does part of your heart become stone
when every day you stare at the wall?
Tell the people who build walls, you see only one side,
when you are only allowed on one side of a wall.