These Walls
1 Student Writing Sample
Lesson: Poets in Revolt!
Full lesson text and accompanying resources
Writing
These Walls
By Augustus Griffith Jr.
From the forthcoming anthology, Poets in Revolt!, this poem explores the aftermath and lasting impacts of school shootings.
Level
Grade 11
Type
Poetry
These walls opened me up before they constricted
But they now obscure the sky, leaving me conflicted
I used to think they were whole
These walls don’t stretch, they shatter
I need to let them go
These walls don’t just bleed, they splatter
These walls betray all the homes they contain
These walls decay, leaving dust and bones
They lie like false hope they propagate
They incarcerate all they used to liberate
With the growth they claim to facilitate
They don’t repent, they constrict and discriminate
These walls contain water
I should’ve swam farther
But I’m drowning
My ID says that I don’t rest
I cut my foot, I bumped my head
I jumped the books, I’ll hop a fence
I hate these walls, they killed my friends
I hate you with the passion that ruined my life
Troubling thoughts bubble inside
These walls are frail and I hope they fall
As we plead for our lives it all slows to a crawl
How many more have to die within these walls?
About the Author
Augustus Griffith Jr. is a devout writer from Parkland, FL. When he isn’t busy creating short films, he hones his craft by writing everything from short stories to sonnets. He has a unique passion for telling conventional stories through unconventional means, and he has been featured in many student publications, along with two books from Penguin Random House and one of his own.