Michael Chitwood (b. 1958)

Men Throwing Bricks 2007

The one on the ground lofts two at a time

with just the right lift for them to finish

their rise as the one on the scaffold turns

to accept them like a gift and place them

on the growing stack. They chime slightly

on the catch. You’d have to do this daily,

morning and afternoon, not to marvel.

Considerations for Critical Thinking and Writing

1. FIRST RESPONSE. Explain the title’s ironic surprise.
2. Discuss the sounds in the poem. How does it “chime”?
3. Why is “marvel” a better choice to describe the men throwing bricks than the phrase “be impressed”?

Connection to Another Selection

1. What accounts for the difference between this celebration of the beauty of work and the tedium communicated in Theodore Roethke’s “Dolor?”