Perseverance from Failure

I. Failure

Failure is the cornerstone of my house.

I carry it, not knowing where to build

a yellow house with a white door

is not mine to keep.

Now it is hard to say what needs to be said,

I churn mortar in my own mouth

and draw floor plans in the dust

the taste is thicker than paint;

I close my eyes...

Failure is the cornerstone of my house

I carry it, not knowing where to be

a green house with succulents

we’ll never build.

How can I gain from such a loss?

to make a level foundation

with an unsteady hand

I am as open as I ever was,

and will ever be . 

2. Perseverance

Perseverance built the walls of our house

they raise high to the ceiling,

A gray house with a red door is what we bought.

Now it is comfortable silence between us

always knowing what is said underneath .

How did we level this foundation with unsteady hands?

The floor plans in the dust bloomed to life...

We are joined as bricks,

hip to hip and mouth to mouth,

by the mortar we churned in them.

...We open our eyes.

Yes, perseverance built the walls of this house

they raise high under a sure roof,

this gray house with its red door

is our home.

How did we form this dream

from failure?

So many endings becoming cornerstones underneath

the earth leveled by our feet.

Now,

we see far in the distance the life we are making

as we are connected in our hearts;

As open as they were,

As open as they will ever be.