Building Something Out of Nothing

Building Something Out of Nothing

A Poem by Poetic License

I’m afraid I’m not terribly great at this “rebuilding,”

This taking of nothing, adding mortar and making something else.

It’s not the effort, mind you,

I quite enjoy the work, it keeps me busy, keeps me from thinking,

No, it’s the strategy of the whole thing.


First comes the sorting of all the rubble,

Discerning what might be reused,

Pushing aside that which is too badly damaged,

The unstable, the volatile, the weakened,

All must be shoved aside, out of the way.


The materials left to use are pitiable at best,

So, I sort back through the rubble once again,

Perhaps I settle on a cracked block,

Hoping to hedge it in between two whole blocks,

Wondering whether it will hold.


Then starts the excavating, the leveling,

This is ugly, dirty, dusty work,

A bulldozer would make short work of it all,

But, alas, I am doing it by hand,

Bending, tugging, sliding, cursing and digging.


I finally just recently started the actual reconstruction phase,

Which is to say I chose my least damages blocks,

And began to fashion a foundation,

Fitting them tightly, paying attention to those damaged pieces,

Trying to calculate the load they will bear.


It is slow, laborious work, this rebuilding,

It involves math, chemistry, physics and manpower,

It also calls for common sense,

Measure twice, cut once…

I realized only yesterday I had forgotten that step.


My angles are misaligned, the joints won’t hold,

I shake my head at the mess I have built and must now dismantle,

This beautiful “becoming” project of mine,

And I wonder, not for the first time…

How precisely does one building something out of nothing.

© 2018 Poetic License


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Featured Review

I struggle with building things.
"This beautiful “becoming” project of mine,
And I wonder, not for the first time…
How precisely does one building something out of nothing."
I believe if we attempt, Maybe can create something wonderful. Thank you my friend for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

Posted 5 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.




Reviews

I really enjoyed this read. I like how you described the process of rebuilding practically though becoming is more of an abstract thing. "measure twice, cut once.../I realized only yesterday I had forgotten that step" that is my favorite line. its amusing and makes me realize yeah. there are a lot of moments in my own life where common sense would have kept me from a lot of problems. In the last line did you mean
"build" instead of "building"?
anyways great poem. Thank you for sharing :)

Posted 5 Years Ago


"How precisely does one building something out of nothing." I love this!

Posted 5 Years Ago


we came from nothing and we try to achieve everything but then when we die we are back to nothing

Posted 5 Years Ago


I struggle with building things.
"This beautiful “becoming” project of mine,
And I wonder, not for the first time…
How precisely does one building something out of nothing."
I believe if we attempt, Maybe can create something wonderful. Thank you my friend for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

Posted 5 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.


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Added on July 11, 2018
Last Updated on July 11, 2018

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Poetic License
Poetic License

Challis, ID



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There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. - Hemingway Fyrene ond fæhðe fela missera, singale sæce, sibbe ne wolde wið manna hwone m&ae.. more..

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