Fences

I live in a world of fences
One inside another
Separating man from man
And brother from brother.

To attend school
I need two passes
One to ride the bus
Another to attend classes.

The security guards stand with guns
And sometimes even dogs.
Security cameras tell
Who does what all day long.

Outside the school fence
Lies yet another
This one meant
To keep out our German brothers.

To buy milk, bread, or eggs
We again need ID’s
Or to go to chapel
To get on our knees.

It’s frustrating to me
That all this is going on
When life should be normal
’Cause nothing’s really wrong.

But the fences and ID’s
Help to keep people in
So they’ll never visit Paris
London, Rome, or Berlin.

They separate neighbors
And turn them into foes
So now they spy cautiously
Where the other one goes.

If something goes wrong
They quickly point fingers
Trying to earn status
As a bell-ringer.

Only when these fences are torn down
Then will both parties be free
And they will see you as you
And judge me for me.