Vertical Integration?

They walked around the chicken coop examining the eggs;
They were quite short compared to them – short trunks, short arms and legs;
Their hands could reach the top of them, could sweep their gentle curves;
They speculated ’bout each egg – if they were boys or girls.

When they were done they went inside, discussing all the while,
Which eggs to hatch, which eggs to smash and cook up omelette style;
“It takes some care and chicken feed to raise each tiny bird,
So we should choose most carefully, lest farming be absurd.”

“Agreed”, the farmer said, “my son, which one makes sense to you?
For you’re the one that chickens feed, and gives them water cool;
I fix the hen-house, get the feed, external stuff like that,
So I don’t care – whichever one you think, that’s what we’ll hatch.

The son said, “Phase them in, I guess, we can’t raise all at once;
Those other two will cost a lot, though value ounce for ounce
Is just as great, but later – dad, let’s raise the one we can;
The others need not omelette be, so put away the pan.”

“Okay”, the farmer said, “though we could bury future costs
Of raising other Golden eggs, and thus utilize the loss;
That way when hen grows up and leaves, the next will fill its place –
No sense in starting back from scratch, for scratches what it takes.”

“Good thinking, dad, that makes a flow, which does not shut one down;
A flow of eggs to chicken coop with other chickens ’round,
Lets me be me, for I don’t care about each chicken’s fate –
My care is focused in my home where I participate.

When they returned to chicken coop they acted on their choice;
They placed the chickens in the line, said son, with leader’s voice –
“We’ll hatch this egg, help it to grow, and give it special care;
Before you know it, we will have productive output there.

“So what’s the product? Is it eggs? or chicks? or brooder hens?
One Golden egg? or two? or three? each grown a bit and then,
Just sell it off and raise the next till it can earn some cash –
Let other people carry on, be satisfied with that?

Is that the way we help along the animation folks?
Give them an egg, or chick, or hen, not omelettes made of yokes?
Or should we keep initial hen for our internal use,
So we can know which way to turn when we put on our boots?

Of course if this initial hen were kept for our own use,
We could let others have some eggs, but not let hen get loose;
Then animating folks would have a steady flow of eggs,
So they can get on with their work and under folks put legs.

My interest’s in a long-term plan for after I am gone;
The short-term stuff is well and good (sell value for a song);
A year or two some Golden eggs in henhouse there will be –
So sell them off as they grow up? Or structure vertically?

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