this building

this building

for Thomas & the RB                   

this building is our world.
we must learn to love it as we fault it.
with its mouth of glass and steel
it sucks our life like an armored leech.
we must not let it suck out our hearts
for if we do, it will swallow our love
as it does the dreams of the students
who sit for our classes.
we must not let this building our world
twist our minds into nests for birds of gloom
for if we do, no butterflies
will delight us with wisdom.
we must not shatter our will
against the newest testament
that declares the messiah hath arrived
and his or her name is called VAX.
for is we do, we will not intuit
that a messiah named VAX is better
than no messiah at all.
we must not let this building our world
calculate us among the weak in spirit
for it we do, we will learn to fear
the words that ignite our souls
to burn the dross from our mood-dimmed brains.
this is our building, our own world,
for all of its cold, sharp edges,
for all of its slave laborers,
and for all of its empty promises—
it does offer our only shelter
our only ground where we can meet, 
smile and say our small hellos