Qualitative's Quantitative Dilemma

Qualitative’s Quantitative Dilemma by Odin Roark Numbers in checkers Numbers in chess Thinking beyond 2 + 2 = 4 Knowing 2 & 2 Portends extension Invites the mind to ponder Knowing a concluded 4 Indubitably finite And so it goes This constant tug-of-war Placing the challenging value of quality Against the easier calculated quantity Like the riches of a fairytale ruler Versus the needs-fulfilled of the provincial One wallows in numbers for counting While the other sees their every move That of thinking through what constitutes The next hour’s harvest of nourishment Who is with the fear of losing? The burden of fright? Who smiles trustingly on patience? The gift of nurturing? If life were a board game Which terrain would you choose? That of hop skip and jump The plundering of any spoils within reach Or that which demands careful decision Where precise positioning of tomorrow May continue to provide all one needs While protecting all worth dying for That stealth-like foreshadowing gift Answering one of history’s Exhaustive conundrums Must quality of long-term goals Always be threatened by Quantity of short-term rewards?