I saw a group of men in my hometown.

I saw a group of men tearing a building down.

With a heave and a ho and a mighty yell,

They swung a beam and the stairway fell.

And I said to the foreman, “Are these men skilled,

The type you’d hire if you wanted to build?”

And he laughed and said, ”Why no indeed.”

He said, ”Common labor’s all I need.

For I can tear down in a day or two

What it took a builder ten years to do.”

And I thought to myself as I walked away,

“Which of these roles am I going to play?

Am I the type that constantly tears down

As I make my way, foolishly, around?

Or am I the type that’s trying to build with care,

In hopes that my team will be glad I’m there?