This poem was originally published on 1 August 2016.

I had breakfast with a king,
Who taught me wealth is not health –
One can’t steal a glance in addiction,
And move away in stealth.
I observed luck’s a virtue,
And that virtue is but luck.
Though ‘tis a man’s character,
That even a king’s ransom cannot touch.

I had lunch with a prince,
Who told me of the pecking order –
The top line up at buffets,
While the lower rungs get slaughtered.
He said the clock takes minutes,
And nobody gets seconds.
The pyramid always erodes,
So the predators are always threatened.

I had dinner with a pauper,
Who taught me to seek common gold –
Everything we take for granted,
Is more valuable than we know.
He showed me talk is cheap,
And once a fella’ cobbles himself together,
He’ll learn that his sole,
Was always made to weather.