Merciless Patience

My grandmother
Chased wasps through her house
With a pair of scissors
In her hand.
Patiently she pursued them.

Suddenly
Like Arkansas heat lightening
She struck
Snipping a wasp in twain
In mid-flight.

It was both a chilling
And wonderful spectacle.
And it was a lesson
To her little grandson.

She taught me
To pursue my troubles
Rather than to hide
From torment.

And further
To initiate a pre-emptive
Strike.

Never wait for misery
To assail you.
Strike swiftly at misery.

This is, of course, impossible, unless
You have a pair of sharp scissors
And the merciless patience
Of my grandmother.