A Traditional Masonic Hymn

Plumbing Hard at My Own Foundations

In the cracked light above the sink,
I stood alone and watched myself think,
Mirror fogged from years of steam,
Tiles sweating out an older dream.

The grout was black between the lines,
The faucet coughed like bad old signs,
And somewhere deep behind the wall
I heard a slow, continual drawl:

Refrain
I’m plumbing hard at my own foundations,
Down where the mildew blooms unseen.
Scrubbing stains from generations,
Trying to get these fixtures clean.
Brother, the labor’s mostly patience—
Soap on my hands and ache in my bones.
I’m plumbing hard at my own foundations,
Alone inside this holy home.

The bathtub ring around my past
Would not come loose, would not come clean;
Some dirt settles in so deep
You learn how long a soul can keep.

The toilet tank kept running wild,
Like every fear I hid as child;
And every midnight flush would sound
Like judgment echoing underground.

Refrain
I’m plumbing hard at my own foundations,
Down where the mildew blooms unseen.
Scrubbing stains from generations,
Trying to get these fixtures clean.
Brother, the labor’s mostly patience—
Soap on my hands and ache in my bones.
I’m plumbing hard at my own foundations,
Alone inside this holy home.

I found old bottles in the drawer,
Half-used vows and nothing more;
Expired medicines and notes
Like hair caught choking up the throat.

The shower curtain swayed like ghosts,
The pipes knocked out their ancient codes,
And every drip at 3 AM
Sounded like the world caving in.

Bridge
Hand me bleach and hand me mercy,
Hand me something strong enough
To whiten what the years made ugly,
To rinse away inherited stuff.

Cause no man enters sacred chambers
Without confronting what decays;
The smell beneath the porcelain
Still rises up through all our days.

Final Refrain
We’re plumbing hard at our foundations,
Down beneath the tiled facade.
Facing leaks and calcifications
No prayer alone can fully solve.
Brother, the labor is purification—
Steam in the mirror, water, stone.
We’re plumbing hard at our foundations