Cross, Cross, Cross

There's just so much foundation to be laid down
before we can even imagine what could be here.
Bricks, mortar, copper wire and bones
Work boots to help you leap the too high hurdles of
Yellow Caution Lines
you loved so much in school
marveling at the novelty of lines that people wouldn't
cross.
Now they're choking you
coiled over and over around your neck, threaded through
your lips and their lips
because a certain measure of safety is required
it's a prerequisite of sorts for working on this ambitious project
this architectural feat.
Because if everyone you've ever loved were a building
unto themselves, designed and shaped by the two of you
erected and maintained by the two of you
slept in and bathed in by the two of you
it's important to remember that you have a history
of foreclosure,
a brief history of demolition.
You're afraid to pay the rent and you're afraid
to put any nails in these walls, because you know how quickly
cement can form around workman's boots
how hard it can become to throw caution to the wind
when it's affixed around every inch of you,
even with buildings so tall as these.