Monsanto reigns supreme
as a model of capitalistic enterprise¬
  We create seed
  which produces better crops
  larger, of higher quality, and more resilient
  to all the evils inherent in farming¬
  and these crops do not themselves
  produce seeds¬
  We create all the seeds,
  farmers have to buy from us,
  each year, every year.
And like drug pushers
first they give a taste
to the kids¬get them hooked
then the kids return,
they must¬
steal and sell their bodies
if need be
just to get more.

This is not the greatest harm¬
afterall, it is argued,
the poor farmer can sustain his habit
by growing better and better crops
(if only the borders
would open, so he could sell them)¬
No, the greatest harm
is the unforeseen¬
something unimaginable¬
take, for example,
the invention of disposable diapers¬
an industry born¬
a boon to parents
bent on convenience¬
less washloads¬
resources, labor
and far less bleach
being poured into our oceans¬
we eat them up¬
but, we already have
a Mount Everest-sized
wad of used disposable diapers
which we plow away
from sight under the earth¬
and they will not deteriorate
for a hundred life-times¬
and this buried mountain
is steadily being added to every day.
Something wrong
with the invention
which now it's too late
to correct, we're hooked¬
the industry is in place
and shifting over to biodegradible materials
would disrupt the market
even if they were to exist.
Who really knows
what impact genetically altered crops
have on our environment?
No Triffid scenario,
but something subtler
we may not uncover
for perhaps a hundred years.
Best of all
the marketing aspect
is heroic¬
  We can end world hunger¬
which really has nothing to do
with seeds afterall
but with political will,
but it sounds so very nice.