And they Obey

Carl Sandburg

Carl Sandburg portrait

1878 to 1967

Poem Image
Track 1

Reconstruct the poem by dragging each line into its correct position. You can also use the up (↑) and down (↓) arrows to move a line one place at a time, or the top (⇑) and bottom (⇓) arrows to move a line directly to the top or bottom. Your goal is to reassemble the original poem as accurately as possible. As you move the lines, you'll see whether your arrangement is correct, helping you explore the poem's flow and meaning. You can also print out the jumbled poem to cut up and reassemble in the classroom. Either way, take your time, enjoy the process, and discover how the poet's words come together to create something truly beautiful.

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Smash down the cities
Put together once more the factories and cathedrals, warehouses and homes
Into loose piles of stone and lumber and black burnt wood
Set up the walls again
You are the soldiers and we command you
You are workmen and citizens all
Break the factories and cathedrals, warehouses and homes
Into buildings for life and labor:
We command you.
Knock the walls to pieces
Build up the cities.

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Poet portrait