Tara

22 Appreciation

1	A Goat herder driving his flock from its pasture at eventide,
2	Discovered some Wild Goats had also mingled among them.
3	So he shut them up together with his own for the night.
4	The next day an early winter storm came with wind and snow,
5	That the Goat herder was obliged to keep them in the fold.
6	He gave his own goats just sufficient food to keep them alive,
7	But fed the strangers more abundantly in the hope of enticing them to stay.
8	When the thaw set in, he led them all out to feed,
9	Yet the wild Goats quickly started to scamper away.
10	The Goat herder called out in anger:
11	Ungrateful Goats! I did take you in and keep you warm.
12	I did give you food even at the expense of the health of my own Goats.
13	One of the wild Goats did turn around and reply:
14	Oh selfish Goat herder, you admit to your own faults, yet do not see them.
15	For yesterday you treated wild Goats better than your own.
16	Thus it is plain if others came, you would in the same manner prefer them to ourselves.
17	That is why we depart your company.