Lesson to Learn

You have the nerve
many don’t
to be a plumber,
to cleanse the pipes,
seal the so-called cracks.
You don’t just tape closed
the leaky faucet.
Tape peels away
or rips off
when pressure builds.

You know
a bandaid won’t stop
the flow of blood
from a lost foot.
You have the nerve
to bury the foot,
cauterize the leg,
shove the nub
into the rage of fire.

Fire can seal cracks,
cleanse
as it snuffs out
all life.

You have the nerve
to start from a so-called
clean slate, to sterilize
and let the water
run through a new
network.

Even new pipes
run with the same water.
To cauterize your loose ends
you create fire
where fire already rages.