I am built
"Baker!"
a gravely voice outside my dream
"why are you standing around?"
'it's the rythmic sound of hammers on nails
and the sight of a helium balloon
floating past a painted bill board
sun faded on the side of the wall
and wondering where it all came from
and where its going...'
but instead, I just mumbled.
"get back to work!"
a foreman's shout with gestures of clipboard
toward the cinderblock wall
holding a diamond shaped trowel
on my pallet charcoal gray cement
I like this trammel
no longer worrying about rent
lack of food
or money for the trivial gifts that keep you friends
I stack blocks
and the wall is just over my head
I have on cloths I do not care about
boots I do not care about
a dust mask and job phone
I do not care about
with focus tapping each block into place
I apply and scrape
slowly drying cement
my care
is that each placement is perfect
This is noble work
when done, all of this will be a building
housing
people will live their lives here
within this confinement
I use a bubble level to make sure of my accuracy
people will make love, fight
grow up and old
families and children
women and husbands
some crimes may happen here
and perhaps something special
out of the ordinary special
a pop song created to make them forget
people coming and going as the years progress
a woman advancing in age
weeping, scared
too old to be alone
perhaps she left the gas on
set the fire alarm off too many times
and when she moves on her neighbors say
this will be better
"Baker, what the hell?
Do you want to keep this JOB?"
I pick up a shovel and throw sand into the mixer
sparks are dropping like cherry blossoms
from the welders working the framing girders
the arc casting a pink spell onto the adjacent brick building
on top of the girders some kids have tagged as high and far
as they could:
BONZES
and from another
NERO
Our building is rising fast
and soon will envelope this graffiti
There is one more, what does that say?
ahh yes...
GODS