Masons, when they start upon a building,
Are careful to test out the scaffolding;
Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points,
Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.
And yet all this comes down when the job’s done
Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.
So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be
Old bridges breaking between you and me
Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall
Confident that we have built our wall.
- Seamus Heaney
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This poem was on the subway as part of the "Poetry In Motion" campaign that the MTA launched a few years ago. When I first read it, I loved it--it was such a great metaphor about building strong relationships. It reminded me of some friendships in college...I thought we'd built solid scaffolding but when the scaffolding went down, so did the building, unfortunately. I still think about these people and all the great memories we had, especially during my sophomore year. I've learned a lot through the destruction and in some ways, it's made me wiser in choosing friends.
the twentysomething year old
- mosaicpieces
- New York, NY, United States
- What makes life so interesting are the risks you take and the people you meet. I've lived the majority of my life fearing the consequences of risks. Well, that's what the twenties are for! I am going to write about my trials and tribulations of being a twentysomething year old in this big world, trying to figure it all out. It's going to be a topsy turvy ride, but that's what being in your twenties is all about.
