Work

Piece by piece

The puzzle is assembled.

Hour after hour

Levers are jammed beneath

The ungainly blocks

Of hard facts

And rough numbers –

Tonnage lifted,

Grunting,

Sweat stinging

The mind’s eye.

As we muscle them into

The stubborn spaces

That made our work

For the day.

While the mortar dries

We stood back and smiled.

Then pack up our tools  

In the long shadows

Of the coming night,

Relieved it justified

Our confidence   

In the bright morning light

we started out in.