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.
Are careful to test out the scaffolding;
Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.
Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.
Old bridges breaking between you and me
Confident that we have built our wall.
"Scaffolding" is one of the first poems our Lit class has been assigned to read by the poet Seamus Heaney. We've covered Edgeworth, Yeats, and Joyce, so far and will spend the next few days working on Heaney.
I've had a bit of a difficult week, due to unexpected events in Dublin last weekend that were almost completely out of my control (although I'm not blameless by any means). I like this poem in particular because it depicts strong relationships. I consider myself to be extremely interpersonal, and I'm grateful to have strong ties with my family and friends especially in times of crisis. After a crazy hectic weekend, I can really relate with Heaney's words here, and I'm glad to have been assigned the reading tonight.
Cool, Meg. It takes smarts to remove the "one man one woman" thoughts that are present in the poem and be able to see the message as broader - In regard to "any" relationship. As you say, sometimes, the crisis event allows for a stronger foundation to be built. heaney has a poem called "Docker", I wonder if you'll hit that one. It's sooo good.
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