“A life cocooned in a building of stone? My scales itch with irritation. It makes no sense. Why spend so much time cutting, carving, hammering, and lifting when the effort is reclaimed by the swamp in the end? Why remove oneself from the soft mud, hiding from the blessings of sun and sweet soil? Better, we know, to use these gifts, for sun-hardened earth to shelter us, to stay moist and happy in simple dwellings. Swift to build and rebuild, warm and damp inside, no more is needed.”
