The Riddle

by Cheryl Merrick

Many men have sought me,
   but I vanish from 
   their grasping hands.
Kings and others in authority
   have ordered my appearance,
   but I do not come.


Often people try to buy me
   regarding me as some “treat”
   they can take home
   to fill their emptiness

Some demand that
   I abide with them,
but I respond neither
   to the demands of parents,
   nor the tantrums of children.

There is only one way
   to have me with you.
If you wish to have me,
   you must first give me away.