The familiar proverb, “Good fences make good neighbors,” gains a nuanced perspective when viewed through Robert Frost’s opening line in “Mending Wall”: “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.”
While many interpret Frost’s poem through the lens of nationalism and borders, or the election of a U.S. President who pledged to build a “big beautiful wall” that suggests a different intention than mere neighborly mending.
Walls manifest in diverse forms, from wood and brick to various wire meshes and the enduring beauty of stacked stone. I recall two friends in Little Rock whose shared stone wall became a convivial meeting place for evening cocktails, a testament to how such barriers can foster connection rather than division. These are the walls worth considering.
Perhaps it’s an opportune moment, both personally and as a nation, to reflect on the walls we erect. Is this a time for further construction, or a moment to dismantle some of the barriers that divide us?
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