Hold

Summary

The text poetically describes the struggle to maintain a deteriorating home, symbolizing a relationship or personal endeavor, where the effort to keep it from falling apart is met with the realization that it may be beyond repair.

Abstract

The narrative begins with the shared responsibility of maintaining the "crippling walls" of a home, where the inhabitants take turns to prevent its collapse. Despite their efforts, the walls begin to crumble, and the focus shifts to a reflection on the lack of foundational repair. As the walls deteriorate, the protagonist notices other more stable homes and contemplates leaving. The departure of one inhabitant to seek solutions leaves the other waiting, clinging to the promise of a better future for their home. The prolonged absence of the one who left deepens the cracks in the home, symbolizing the growing despair and disillusionment. Ultimately, the remaining individual acknowledges the futility of holding on to something that is fundamentally broken, deciding to let go and move on from the decaying home and the unfulfilled promises.

Opinions

The author conveys a sense of resignation and fatigue from the continuous and futile effort to maintain a failing structure, both literal and metaphorical.
There is an underlying theme of neglect, as the inhabitants never consider repairing the foundation, focusing only on the visible damage.
The text suggests a critique of persistence without change, highlighting that some situations require more than just holding on; they need fundamental transformation.
The comparison with other homes that do not require such desperate maintenance implies a yearning for stability and the realization that it might be found elsewhere.
The act of waiting for someone to return with solutions reflects a dependency on external fixes rather than internal strength or self-reliance.
The promise of return and the subsequent prolonged absence contribute to a sense of abandonment and the eventual acceptance that moving on may be the only viable option.
The metaphor of the home extends beyond physical structures to encompass relationships or personal aspirations that may require letting go to escape an inevitable decline.

The crippling walls of our home

Image by Author

A few years ago, we decided to hold The crippling walls of our home. We’d take turns and switch places, When one got tired, the other balanced The scattering brick and stone.

The walls stood tall for a year. Slowly, they started to crumble down. With firm hands, we held strong, Tried to balance the shattering walls. For it was no more a little wear and tear.

Not even once did it cross our minds, “Let’s fix the fort from the ground up, Fix the inside.” Alas! The walls are almost down; Our home will be crushed in no time.

You see a better home on the far end With a strong foundation, Of brick, mortar, and cement It doesn’t need unnecessary holding on, Doesn’t need a single amend.

Confused, you look around, You see many such homes Decisively, you leave, You go to check other homes Beyond our wretched town.

You tell me to hold on to our home Wait, while you are gone Like a little girl, I do as you told, “Don’t move, don’t leave, don’t go. Very soon, I’ll come home.”

Now you are gone for too long. When you left, you promised, “I’ll come back soon with a bagful Of tricks to fix our home. We’ll make our home strong.”

You are not back. I wait. I look left and right, To far end, far behind. The wait’s getting longer, And the deeper our home’s cracks.

I want a new home too. That I don’t have to hold on to. I am reluctant to leave; What if you come back like you said And see the debris that overtook our roof.

With my eyes towards the far-away homes And the proud abodes, My hands balance the last pieces of our home. I will let go now, let it crumble down. What we reaped is what we sowed.

Our fort was never too strong, The last piece will soon fall. I shall, too, leave now. Our home, your promise, my wait Were nothing, but an inevitable doom.