The Seated

People returned secretly at first

One by one, until they became a long line of seekers

They are those who are pulled by desires they do not understand

Remembering how abundance had rained upon them once

They remember tasting food from a table of foreign delicacies

They had secretly loved and wanted more of

But to their peers and to their allies

They pretended to despise the table

Choosing instead bland gruel lacking flavour, colour and nutrition

They turned up their nose at the foreigners

Their wisdom

Their skills

Their wealth.

They returned to their gruel, expecting to find satisfaction again as they had once before.

But they had to forcibly swallow and choke it down

They checked with the cooks

Who looked at them strangely – No one had ever complained before…

They added sugar

They added salt

They added cream

And although it helped a little

It did not satisfy

After all gruel is gruel

Boredom and dissatisfaction grew

And slowly, slowly

One at a time

They looked toward the foreigners and remembered how nice it had been

How fiery, satisfying, interesting and vibrant and warm it had been.

But pride held the loudest of those who had laughed, to sit with the gruel forever

But one by one, those who had secretly loved and desired the foreign table, visited the foreigners in secret

They sat at that table again so they could taste the riches and the wealth that they brought.

Knowing that by doing so, they would be forever changed and that is what they hoped for.