The boy lives in his own world and is very lonely.


He keeps to himself at the wall, wasting his time smacking his hands against the wall , tracing patterns and scuffling with his feet and doing other boredom-beating tricks. His concentration decreases slowly and soon, he just scuffs his feet in boredom. He must be doing these for a long, long time for him to be bored of his own boredom-beating tricks. He must have been also ignored by his family and is deprived of love and friendship.


He doesn’t fit in and the children doesn’t play with him. Therefore he stays at the wall all the time.

We pass him by and never speak,
His loneness is his shell and shield
And neither he nor we will yield.

Though the children run pass him, they ignore him as if he was part of the wall. The boy’s is like hiding in a shell and having a shield, stopping them from coming near him/ talking to him. The children ignores him and does not talk to him too. The boy and the children both will not play nor talk together. The children will never involve him in any of their activities

In slow huddled groups, low talking.
Each in our familiar clique

They will not talk to the loner and only gossip among themselves, forming a clique.


--

He wants to join in, but he is shy and is very fearful of others.

Back against the wall he stays –
And never plays.

He is paraniod and fearful, leaning against his only friend, the wall for security and support. The wall, like him, is often ignored by passer-bys. Since the wall and him feels for each other, the wall is the boy’s best friend, and vice-versa. might also be watching the children play and is feeling envious of them playing since he comes to the wall often. He wants to play too.

Since he is shy and fearful of others, he has some kind of “shield” that blocks others from understanding and befriending him.

He has found a new meaning in life and has moved away.

He wasn’t there at the wall today,
Someone said he’d moved away
To another school and place

He has moved away and given up trying to fit into the group of children. He might have left to find a new meaning in life besides hanging out without anything to do at the wall. Leaving the place, he might even find new friends, if he allows people to “break his shield and shell”. He is independent now.

And on the wall where he used to lean
Someone had chalked
‘watch this space’.

The boy might have chalked “watch this space” as he still missed this only friend, the wall , who gave him support and security. He wants others to help him to “watch this space” , taking care of his friend for him while he is away.

Maybe he wants to reserve the space at the wall, hinting that he may want to come back to "visit" the wall one day.

The boy is lonely , mainly because of his shyness and fear of others. The children ignore him and he ends up doing things that have no meaning near a wall, who is his only friend who can actually give him support. He desires to play with the children, yet he is scared. The children does not understand him and act as if he is part of the wall. Now, he is independent and has moved away. However, he hasn't forgetten about his friend, the wall.