I watched them tearing a building down, A gang of men in a busy town.
With a ho heave ho, and a lusty yell, They swung a beam and a sidewall fell.
I asked the Foreman, “Are these men as skilled As the men you’d hire if you had to build?”
He laughed as he said “No, indeed.” “They 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 the builder who works with care, Measuring life by the rule and square?
Am I shaping my deeds to a well-made plan, Patiently doing the best I can?
Or am I the wrecker, who walks the town, Content with the labor of tearing down?