Here is the widely known poem often titled “A Builder or a Wrecker” (or “The Wreckers”):
I watched them tearing a building down, A gang of men in a busy town. With a ho-heave-ho and a lusty yell, They swung a beam and a side wall fell.
I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled, And the men you’d hire if you had to build?” He gave a laugh and said, “No, indeed! Just common labor is all I need.
I can easily wreck in a day or two What builders have taken a year to do.”
And I thought to myself as I went my way, Which of these roles have I tried to play? Am I a builder who works with care, Measuring life by the rule and square?
Am I shaping my deeds by a well-made plan, Patiently doing the best I can? Or am I a wrecker who walks the town, Content with the labor of tearing down?
(Some versions add this closing prayer: “O Lord, let my life and my labors be That which will build for eternity!”)
Note on authorship: It is frequently (and incorrectly) attributed to Edgar A. Guest. The poem was written by Charles Franklin Benvegar (also known as Carmelo Benvenga, 1913–1989) and first published in 1967 in The Songs of the Free State Bards. Slight wording variations appear across reprints, but the version above is the standard form.
Deep dive on the authorship of the “Builder or a Wrecker” / “The Wreckers” poem
The common (incorrect) attribution
The poem is very frequently credited to Edgar A. Guest (1881–1959), the prolific “People’s Poet” who wrote thousands of accessible, moralistic verses for newspapers (especially the Detroit Free Press). Sites like Goodreads, various sermon illustration collections, YouTube readings, and motivational blogs routinely list him as the author.
This is almost certainly a misattribution that stuck because:
- The style (simple rhyme, everyday observation turning into a moral question) closely matches Guest’s voice.
- Guest wrote many poems about work, character, building vs. destruction, and everyday ethics.
- Once a popular inspirational piece gets attached to a famous name online or in church bulletins, the error multiplies rapidly and becomes self-reinforcing.
No reliable bibliography, collected works, or contemporary source from Guest’s lifetime includes this poem. Guest died in 1959; the poem’s first documented publication is later.
The correct attribution
The poem was written by Carmelo Benvenga (1913–1989) of Baltimore, Maryland, writing under the pseudonym Charles Benvegar (sometimes rendered Charles Franklin Benvegar).
Key evidence:
- It was first published in 1967 in the anthology The Songs of the Free State Bards, compiled by Vincent Godfrey Burns (Poet Laureate of Maryland) and printed by New World Books of Washington, D.C.
- Multiple independent sources that carefully track the poem’s origin name Benvegar/Benvenga, including Bible.org and a detailed page on church-of-jesus-christ-facts.net.
- The latter site states that the poem is reproduced with the explicit permission of Carl Benvenga, the author’s son. This is the strongest available confirmation of family ownership and correct credit.
- The poem sometimes appears with a closing couplet (“O Lord let my life and my labors be / That which will build for eternity!”); other printings omit it. Slight wording variations (e.g., “a year” vs. “years,” “ho-heave-ho” vs. similar constructions) are common in oral/folk transmission of short inspirational verse.
Supporting context
- Vincent Godfrey Burns was a real and somewhat colorful figure: Maryland’s official Poet Laureate (appointed for life in 1962), a former clergyman, and compiler of patriotic and regional verse. The 1967 anthology fits his known activities.
- Benvenga/Benvegar was a local Maryland poet whose work appeared in that collection; the family confirmation (via the son) anchors the claim more firmly than most internet attributions.
Why the confusion persists
Inspirational poems of this type often circulate anonymously or get reassigned to better-known writers (Guest is a frequent “victim” of this). Once Guest’s name is attached in a widely copied sermon illustration or blog post, later users rarely check primary sources. The 1967 publication date post-dates Guest’s death, which is decisive.
Bottom line
The version you saw in the earlier note is accurate: the poem is not by Edgar A. Guest. It belongs to Charles Benvegar / Carmelo Benvenga (1913–1989), first published in 1967 in The Songs of the Free State Bards. The family permission noted by one of the more careful online sources adds weight to that credit. Slight textual variations exist across reprints, which is normal for this kind of short moral verse.