A half a dozen years ago
A slew of central bankers,
Decided gold held as reserves
Was a game for second rankers.
They carefully assessed the stacks
Of their countries’ shiny store
And said “it takes up too much room;
We won’t keep it anymore.”

So they sold it by the metric ton,
(A strange throw of the dice),
‘Cause such flooding of the market
Guaranteed the lowest price.
They were happy with the deal though
And when it all was done,
Gold that had been stashed for centuries
Was sold off—and was gone.

The money made from selling gold
On other things was spent.
Mostly U.S. treasuries that paid
An anemic two percent.
While lo! the gold unloaded
Like a pile of worthless ruble
Has rebounded with a vengeance,
Its price now more than double.

So what’s the likely future
Of those who joined this fad,
The foolish central bankers
Whose judgment proved so bad?
Though they acted kind of stupid
And their nations’ wealth they blighted
They’re well-spoken and they dress well
So...they’ll doubtless end up knighted.

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