“A fool with a heart and no sense is just as unhappy as a fool with sense and no heart.”
Fyodor Dostoevesky

Sometimes
Some of us
Build houses of cards,
Only realizing it
From afar--
Perhaps it's because
Their minds are ill,
Or perhaps they're accustomed
To others cleaning up
Their messes,
Whatever their reason
There will come a time
When those houses
Will come down,
Be it by a great wind
Or a slow collapse,
And in the end
There will be nothing left
But a pile of cards.
What to do then?
You could
Try again to
Build the house
Using the same cards,
Just in a different
Arrangement,
But it's still
A house of cards
That will
Collapse again
Eventually.
Or you can
Abandon the cards
And start anew
With substantial materials,
Build a firm and stable
Foundation
Of careful thought and planning,
Then, with focused energies,
Self discipline,
And hard work,
Gradually build
A real house
That can withstand adversity,
Bowing before life's challenges
Without breaking.
After all,
Cards are only good
For games,
And life is not a game.

c. 2024