Bricks, with their one-right-next-to-the-other-ness,

their mortar mazes that require no imagination

to complete, their patterned placement

that could be soothing in its predictability, but reeks

of conformity and rigidity, which are not

inherently bad or wrong, but also are not

creative nor thought-provoking, nor likely to incite

any sort of rebellion, riot, revolution, or reform…

and perhaps this is why our schools, our town halls,

our courthouses were built brick by brick by brick

by boring brick, solidifying, commanding, ensuring

steadiness, security, stability…and slavery.