Three Dice: A Game Villanelle
Choose three dice – one black, one white, one gray.
Keep them with you always. Roll them when
you face a challenge or a question in your day.
The highest die is what you must obey.
If there’s a tie, continue rolling; then
choose three dice – one black, one white, one gray –
and throw one of your current dice away.
A gray die means you do what you intend
with the challenge or the question in your day.
If black wins out, be cruel. Show hate. Betray.
White dice let you try to make amends.
Choose three dice – one black, one white, one gray –
for when you see your friends. Ask them to play.
If, one week later, they remain your friends,
share a challenge or a question from your day.
In time, your dice become your soul’s display.
If you think it’s ugly, start again.
Choose three dice – one black, one white, one gray.
Face a challenge or a question in your day.
(Written in response to Ben Lehman’s game villanelle challenge.)