Peace Walls

The Peace Wall at Peckham

'this is nice'

and there, there

is another wall in Southwark

working strange magic

- only this one, no longer

iron-cast in confusion -

brick-a-brack boxes

bold in colours, from the side

it is a non-ending optical illusion:

and at the heart,

a heart that is still-square,

nearly silent, nearly

lost amidst these words 

and their simple statements, there :

'this is nice' : 'this is Peckham' :

nothing said truer than that.

This simple wall 

extends an arm

to others. Belfast, Israel, Derry,

Philedelphia - one bright 

brick-by-concrete

piece by peace, it unfurls itself.

Into other walls, other places, other hopes

of similar colours, of a 'nice' 

and simple wall. 

words by 

Penny Newell