We value only what is rare
Or what has costs us pain to get,
And yet, without the common things
Of life, the rest is surplus sweat.


Our health, the rain, the stalwart sun
That feeds us all, the air we breathe,
A child’s laughter, birdsong, dreams—
Who values what they scarce perceive?


We march in time as Caesar’s troops,
Straight roads our paths to gain or loss;
And yet, without the common things
Of life, the rest is glut and dross.