Poem for Monday, February 2, 2026

Always leave time for poetry

On Building A Wall

Strings laid
mud prepared
wet
not too wet
never dry
     SCOOP
throw
swipe up
(brick already in hand)
swipe out
swipe in
lay
scrape
tap
move
brick by brick
up, over, over, over . . .
     UP
mud
more mud 
brick
grab, scoop, throw, swipe, lay, scrape, tap
     MOVE
eye on the line
eye on the brick
eye on the mud
continuous motion
rhythmic rotation
muscle memory
look forward, never back
trust the line
trust the trowel
test the mud
test the level
do it once
a thousand times