Moving the Mountainous Metaphor

could take centuries;  
  bitter armies labouring daily    
would waste their lives    
   
Death intervenes too soon-    
  removes diseased mortality;    
leaves that monument    
  standing strong    
   
It takes    
  this mustard seed of patience    
  requiring trust    
  relinquishing control    
to transform circumstance    
without excessive force    
  or needless damage    
   
Mineral sand with rock    
crushed into finely stratified shale    
will regale countless stories    
  when stones cry out:    
   
  how erosion, landslides    
  dust storms were avoided-    
  rivers, forests, farmland    
  wildlife habitats preserved
   
But, no tale    
  recounting your victory exists    
in recorded annals      
   
Au contraire      
just another failed attempt      
  playing innocent;    
   
  a martyr  
  operating the muddy jackhammer    
  because you never learn    
~