Pavement cave-in around manhole.
Excavated on the fallen side of the brick chimney to the deep sewer.
A small pit, earth here, damaged brick tower there.
Mason climbs down with mortar bucket.
Summer laborer,
son of friend of legislator,
throws bricks.
“Hey!”
Not like that.
Two bricks pressed together with laborer’s two hands,
pressed together with hands, firm and soft.
Swung down in languid, forward movement.
The press-together holds.
Mason catches them with his two hands,
pressing them still together,
soft and firm.
Stacks them.
Patrick T. Reardon
9.7.2014
Written by : Patrick T. Reardon
For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.