'Scaffolding' by Seamus Heaney

                                              Scaffolding                                            Seamus Heaney

Masons, when they start upon a building,

Are careful to test out the scaffolding;

Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points,

Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.

And yet all this comes down when the job’s done

Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.

So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be

Old bridges breaking between you and me

Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall

Confident that we have built our wall.

I chose this poem by Seamus Heaney because I loved the way the scaffolding and the building of walls was used as a metaphor for a relationship. In the first paragraph it is like the beginning of a relationship, when both people are careful, and testing the limits of their friendship.The use of the words 'careful' and 'test' show the uneasiness and cautiousness of starting a friendship. The second paragraph is when two people are becoming closer, but are still not quite comfortable around eachother. 'make sure the planks don't slip at busy points' suggests a time of difficulty in the relationship, when they have to be careful not to hurt eachother. 

By the third paragraph the friendship is built on steady foundations of trust. The solid structure of the relationship remain even after the scaffolding is gone. The relationship has been established.
In the fourth and fifth paragraphs the relationship is strong and they no longer need the 'scaffolding' to steady their relationship.
I liked the imagery of the building site being secured 'secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints'. I felt this is an effective way of describing the beginning of a relationship,testing each other.
I also liked the line 'old bridges breaking between me and you'. Perhaps arguments that had been forgotten about in the past arise, and they fall out, but their relationship is strong enough to withstand these arguments.