Four-Leaf Clover

It’s strange to me to think

that the addition of one leaf

is all it takes to shift a fate

from commonplace to lucky.

Only three? Merely ordinary,

unexciting, not enough,

easily overlooked, brushed aside,

in the pursuit of more:

magic number four!

Is one leaf strong enough

to bear the weight

of wishes, hopes, and dreams?

Can one leaf change

the ebb and flow, the tides

of fate and fortune?

I wonder how many stalks wilt

in disappointment

that they didn’t sprout

one leaf more,

and how many stretch

grateful stems to the sky

without the burden

of leaf number four.