These battered walls
they don’t talk
after all they’ve seen
deaf ears and blind eyes
they’ve tried not to know
but there is no escape
they breathe to forget
the innocence of the past
comes back to haunt
the unspoken words
seep into the cracks
hiding from the truth
forgiveness
doesn’t come easily
until red stains
this tortured place
and only then
does the innocence
begin to fall

but the truth
remains the same
behind these battered walls