If the ceiling could remember
All the nights you sat below
If it could form opinions
Of the “you” it came to know
If the ceiling could remember
The nights you sat in bed
Watching movies, reading books
As it studied the top of your head
If the ceiling could remember
The mornings you awoke
To sunlight blinding your eyes
And a brain full of sleepy smoke
If the ceiling could remember,
All these evenings dark and blue
Who would the ceiling say
Was the person known as you?
It might say that you are lonely
Or that your nights are full of tears
It might say that you spend time
Dancing around your greatest fears
It might say that you are brave
That night’s your kindest friend
That alone in the quiet of your room
Your days reach peaceful ends
It might say that you are joyous
That you spend time laughing every night
Or dancing wildly in the mirror
Like a happy bird in flight
If your ceiling could remember
How you act when you’re alone
It might want to see you flourish
It might want to see you grow
If your ceiling could remember
Everything you tried to hide
Would you want your ceiling meeting
The people on the outside?
If your ceiling could remember
And tell the world what it saw
Would they recognize the person
At the center of it all?
Discussion Questions:
- This poem is about who people are when they are alone. Who are you when only “the ceiling” is watching?
- How do you spend your alone time? Do you like being alone, or do you prefer to spend time with people?
- If the ceiling could, in fact, tell your friends and family who you are when you’re alone, what would it say? Would your friends and family be surprised?
- Do you think people should strive to be their most authentic selves, or is it okay to be different around certain people?
