Am I a Builder?

I watched them tear a building down,

A gang of men in a busy little town.

With a big heave-ho and a lusty yell,

They swung a beam and the wall fell.

 

I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,

And the ones you’d hire if you had to build?”

He gave a laugh and said: “No, indeed.

Just common laborers is all I need.

I can easily wreck in a day or two,

What builders have taken a year to do.”

 

And I thought to myself as I went away,

Which of these roles have I tried to play?

Am I builder who works with fond care,

Measuring life by the rule and square?

 

Am I shaping my deeds to a well laid plan,

Patiently doing the best that I can?

Or am I a wrecker who walks through the town,

Just content with labor of tearing down?

(Author unknown)