SETTING THE FIRST STONE

By Armin Tolentino

When I was built by the Lord, He set first
the beam of my backbone in place to wire
my brain to my fingers. So I could dream
of sanctuary, then shape it with my hands.

And even through the Hard Years when I fell
to disrepair, stripped to the studs, my Maker

knew I was worth saving. Always. When you
look at your life, if you can’t recall whose
hands held up your walls, who helped you rebuild

after every storm, it’s because there were
so many. Your walls are painted with fingerprints:
mother, neighbor, stranger who refused

to look away. No one does this alone.
The Lord soldered your heart to your feet
so every step you take, you could take

with purpose. When your own roof is firm
in the wind and keeps out the rain you must
build a road to reach the next home. We learned

this from our Maker, made in His image, made
to make this world better. The hand fashions what
the brain imagines. The heart inspires where

the feet tread. Home by home, bridge and road,
connected as one body. Our shared sanctuary.

Come, let’s build the house we call Tomorrow.

Help me lift the cornerstone named Hope.
It’s the first we set in place around which
everything else is made steady and true.

Etch on its façade our prayers. Place beneath it
a blessing of grains. Each seed is a dream
we keep alive for one another.