On the ending of...

(http://www.abandonedamerica.us/)

Lying in ruins
is this once
proud
witness to a commitment
of love and faith.

People gathered
to be caught up
in the song.

Love evident,
joy ambient,
care given
and peace received.

This cannot be enough
when even one grows
weary.
Lays down
a tool or a perspective,
unthinking,
for a moment
of rest.

Then the crows come
in.

How deep
did we dig?
How often did we check
the walls
for proper thickness,
the fabric for proven
and impermeable
protection?

A crumbling
that cannot be dammed will
damn
this shelter, this home.

A week without dusting,
a month without filling in
holes.

A short lifetime
of watching this
beauty erode.

Yes, there is beauty
in the abandonment
of veneer,
of surface perfection.

But there is not
beauty
in the laying
to waste
of a sacred place.

Mending and tending,
this short lifetime
will be work.
The work of restoration.
A lasting work
for us who need
shelter.