Piece by Piece

By Andrew R. Duckworth

“Little by little the bird builds its nest.”

Nigerian Proverb

The Sistine Chapel ceilings
Did not materialize overnight.
It was one brush stroke after another
Building scenes
That would last centuries.
And had Michelangelo grown
His own crops, they would have
Begun the way all crops do,
From seeds, carefully planted
And watered, cultivated,
And when the time came,
There was a successful harvest-
From the soil to the dinner plate.
Tedious but important,
Small becomes large-
Dreams become reality.
But if not crafted carefully,
Piece by piece,
The whole nest can fall apart.