I WATCHED them tear a building down,
A crew of men in a busy town ;
With a ho and a heave and a lusty
They swung a beam and down the wall fell.

I asked the foreman, "Are these men skilled ?
The kind you would hire if you would build ?"
The foreman replied, "Why, no, indeed !
Common laborers are all I need,
For they can wreck in a day or two
That which has taken years to do."

So I asked myself as I went on my way,
"What part in the game of life do you play ?
Are you shaping your life to a well-made plan,
Patiently doing the best that you can ?
Or are you a wrecker that walks the town,
Content with the pleasure of tearing down ?"