The New House of the Spirit

Rev. Jeffrey Symynkywicz, April 9, 2000

Perhaps this history is not a wall we build
brick by brick,
but a flower we allow
to spring up in all its glory.
And yet--
when we tear down the abode of what once was,
of what used to be,
there's going to be a fair share of rubbish
that will need to be removed
before the new house can be built
or even before the new flower
can arise and grow.

It's much easier to tear down,
to demolish;
so much more difficult it is
to remove the remains
of what's left behind
and cart it all off
to a place where it won't bother us any longer.

Yet even this work, this carting off, can have its rewards
and satisfactions, even its joys.
Because what a feeling of accomplishment there is
when the lot is made vacant,
ready and waiting for the new building to begin:
no one will ever even know
that this wasn't virgin land,
that old edifices, their purposes now long used up,
once occupied-- then littered-- this ground.
The heart leaps at the thought of what might be
if only we engage our hearts and minds to the task of building:
if only there is energy enough left
to last us through these last few years of winter.

jbs
12/8/98 - 4/9/00

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