What I Need
By John Herlihy

What I want and what I need,
They seem to come from the same breed.
You hear the words the same thing to tell;
But in the end you see they don’t mix well.
Wanting speaks of desire somehow on offer;
Needing speaks of treasure hiding in a coffer.
Most of us want health, happiness and wealth,
That we aim to acquire by resorting to stealth.
Most of us are clueless as to what we really need;
If we knew, we may want less what we don’t need.

Wanting peeks from the heart like a rising sun;
Needing announces itself at the point of a gun.
Wanting an expendable desire from an inner core;
Needing seeks a soothing balm when feeling sore.
What about the futility of wanting what you do not need.
Thinking to have things that suggest the will to succeed.
Not the mention the danger of wanting the wrong thing,
Once you have it, you may realize the evil it can bring.
All I really want in life are the things that I truly need.
Why want a thing that will have us end up going to seed.