Lockup
I live in a city of fences, locks and guards.
The fences are cheap and strong…and often topped with barbed wire. Our fences serve as landmarks too. We say things like- “Come down to the third house marked 18. It is the one with the green fence.” We’re not worried that there are three number 18’s. It is OK if number 52 is next door. If we arrive at the number 18 with the green fence, we are confident.
Our fences are locked. We lock ourselves in at around 8 or 9pm and open the locks at around 6 in the morning. We don’t use a lock. We use locks. We multiply our protection.
Apart from the fences and locks we do guards. Some guard by night and have another job during the day. Some guard by day and study at university at night. Others do nothing else but sit, wait and hope that nothing happens.
In this city of fences, locks and guards, and important question becomes- who will I be locked up with? What language will I speak when I first wake up? Who will I see before I go to bed? There’s no choice about me being locked up. Who will I invite to join me?
The fences are cheap and strong…and often topped with barbed wire. Our fences serve as landmarks too. We say things like- “Come down to the third house marked 18. It is the one with the green fence.” We’re not worried that there are three number 18’s. It is OK if number 52 is next door. If we arrive at the number 18 with the green fence, we are confident.
Our fences are locked. We lock ourselves in at around 8 or 9pm and open the locks at around 6 in the morning. We don’t use a lock. We use locks. We multiply our protection.
Apart from the fences and locks we do guards. Some guard by night and have another job during the day. Some guard by day and study at university at night. Others do nothing else but sit, wait and hope that nothing happens.
In this city of fences, locks and guards, and important question becomes- who will I be locked up with? What language will I speak when I first wake up? Who will I see before I go to bed? There’s no choice about me being locked up. Who will I invite to join me?
posted by pip @ 8:17 pm
3 Comments:
At 8:36 am ,
Anonymous said...
Thanks
It makes me appreciate having a single lock on the door - and being able to go out to all hours at night without worry.
I don't want to get a locked in mentality!
At 1:19 pm ,
Anonymous said...
Well it would have been nice if someone had told me all that when i was over there... i remember spending over an hour one morning trying to find a house.(i gave up in the end, the numbers were to confusing :) Its okay pip, it was no reflrection on you, it was another person who gave me a random house number off a random street with no reference to gate size or colour!!! i think if you had given me the directions i would have made it there.Who knows maybe even on time.
At 10:02 pm ,
pip said...
Yep- a street adress just isn't enough. Maybe this is why they refuse to deliver post to people's houses...it is just too hard! Please send your Christmas packages now to to PO BOX....
Being locked in mentally/ isolated socially/ closed spiritually are all different ideas that could flow from this them. Ah! To be open in a world that locks things up.
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