One last villanelle to kick off a new week:
“Two people in a burning house must not stop to argue.” – a proverb of Ghana
But, how do you live in a house on fire?
How do you breathe in the heart of the blaze?
Chutzpah, persistence and nerve this requires.A body learns not to flinch at high wires
(Though heartbeats may skip as that body sways)
But, how do you live in a house on fire?A rabbit adjusts to life in a briar
The thorns become turns and twists of the maze;
Chutzpah, persistence and nerve this requires.The swamp spatters those who brave its quagmire
One risks drowning death to drain its malaise,
But… How? Do you live in a house on fire?The heat also roars, deafened, you perspire,
But carry on with your bucket upraised.
Chutzpah, persistence and nerve this requires…Keep breathing this smoke, you’ll surely expire –
Why stay, with eyes streaming, in choking haze?
And how do you live? In a house on fire,
Chutzpah, persistence and nerve are required.