A Bag Of Tools

Isn't it strange 

That princes and kings,

And clowns that caper 

In sawdust rings,

And common people 

Like you and me

Are builders for eternity?

Each is given a bag of tools,

A shapeless mass, 

A book of rules;

And each must make -

Ere life is flown -

A stumbling block 

 Or a steppingstone.

... A Bag Of Tools, R.L. Sharpe