When
 for a long time now
 you carefully raise
 high walls all around you

 When
 willfully
 you harden your heart
 to a carapace
 and deaden
 all your external sensors,
 how do you expect
 to recognize
 the touch of life?

 When the trumpets of love
 shall sound
 and the walls shall start crumbling
 around you,
 you might appear
 pale and lost
 wandering
 in the sunless ruins.
 In vain you expect
 that you will emerge from the coccoon
 ravishingly beautiful
 to the call of spring.
 

   ******************

 This poem was written in greek ages ago
 and alludes heavily to the poem of Cavafy that I just posted on the
 "modern other poets" thread ( and not only)