I watched them tearing a building down,

A gang of men in a busy town.

With a heave and a ho and a mighty yell,

They swung a crane and a sidewall fell.

I asked the foreman, “Are these men as skilled

As the men you hire when you have to build?”

He gave me a laugh and said, “No, indeed!

Just common labor 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 my way,

Which of these roles have I tried to play?

Am I a builder, who works with care,

Measuring life with a ruler and square?

Am I shaping my deeds by a well-laid plan,

Patiently doing the best I can?

Or am I a wrecker, who walks the town,

Content with the labor of tearing down?

Anonymous