The Terrible Twins

We berate them for the maddening
mischief they do and in their
turn they face us, puzzled and
trusting eyes betraying uncertainty
anxious to be redeemed. They are
the Terrible Twins, sibling brother
and sister out-competing one another 
in the ferocity of their games
dashing madly about, seeming
to confer on the most possibly
irritating mischief to tackle,
sometimes eliciting hilarity at
their bold enterprise and just as 
often depleting our exhaustible 
store of patience. Their cleverly
intuitive interpretation of language
speaks to their precocity yet it is
a hugely selective talent, one set
aside with blase indifference when
their actions are dictated by the
irresistible desire to prowl and
appropriate what they know they
must not, in the pleasure they take
in destroying what is of value other
than for their entertainment. Their
sweet faces in abject remorse a
healing balm, they excel in the
peerless performance of artless 
joy and endless love, our two.