It needs a stubborn will, a steady hand—

When these combine, the angled edifice

Will rise, a fragile fretwork, all unsound.

A house of cards is flimsy, pretty too;

The upper storeys perilous indeed.

Its rooms are quite transparent to the view;

The floors will not withstand a finger’s tread.

And note how walls are furnished red or black;

While several chambers have a royal coat

Of king or queen or knave to show the pack

Is oligarchal; nonetheless, despite

These monarchs, sudden storms of breath will cause

The house to fall-----with roof to basement brought,

In quick collapse of levelled cards; chaos

Replacing now what hands had deftly wrought.

~ Stanley ~

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