The prompt for today: to write a poem that features masonry–walls, bricks, stones, arches, or the like.

mortaroffaith

I never knew
my great-grandfather the mason
but his song beats in my heart
and runs through
the veins of my children.
great-grandpa wolfgram
laid the units of our family–
units of love and integrity,
devotion and dedication,
hard work and equity.
and those units were bound
(and bind us still)
by his mortaroffaith–
a durable cement
that overcame
hardship,
the great depression,
tragedy,
early death.
the structure of our family–
built brick upon brick,
secured stone upon stone,
laid in unique designs,
sprinkled with a twinkle of quick wit–
this structure
beats strong
in every pulse
of our shared bloodline.
I never knew
my great-grandfather,
the mason,
but every day
the generous way
he slathered
mortaredfaith
over our lives
rises like an archway
firmly rooted on earth, but
pointing toward heaven.