The Will to Possess

Shoemaker had some Bokhara seed to sell,
the neighbors hurried to buy, filled with hope.
You’d think the seed had been blessed by the Pope,
how the word got out, none of us would tell.

Rumor whispered, here was a special seed.
I guess it’s natural we keep looking for
a bigger crop than we’ve ever had before.
Rain lurks in every cloud when you’re in need.

But still we didn’t know what the seed would grow,
the hint and secrecy just tempted us that day.
What we could count on Shoemaker wouldn’t say;
here was his price and here was the seed to sow.

In spite of this we felt the urge to buy
this gold-husked seed, strange, with a foreign name
(knowing that hope and harvest are not the same)
we couldn’t resist the gamble. We had to buy.