Trusting the Bones

It would be easy to be overwhelmed
as you walk through the old building,
so long neglected,
every square inch a desperate cry
for help, for restoration.

Paint peels.
Molding lies, pulled away from the walls.
Windows are broken.

The floors are scarred
and there is debris, useless
and piled everywhere that needs to be removed
before you begin.

Only the bones remain solid,
and they are invisible,
straight lines of strength
like what remains of your heart,
quiet, strong, determined to stand fast

in the belief that restoration is possible,
even here, where so much seems broken,
you trust the bones, and begin,

seeing not what is there,
but what you believe,
will be.

About this poem

I have a large magnet on my refrigerator that says “begin anywhere”. When life batters me, when I feel overwhelmed, that is my mantra. Just begin.

The picture was taken inside the old train station in Salem, NY.

Tom