Who Are You

You are what you eat, they say Or -- You become you work And hope that your work becomes you Balderdash, I say! Pure and utter nonsense! If you like to eat fish, are you then a fish? If you eat vegetables, do you become one? If you work as a waiter or as an estimator Is that what you become? Does that job define you? I don't care whether you are a pauper or a prince, a plumber or a painter a ping-pong-champ or a poet Do those things define you? Are they your essence, your quintessence, your essential YOU? Of course they aren't! You are a son, a daughter, a sister, a brother, a friend, a lover, a spouse, a significant other; you are a biker, a hiker, a seeker, a speaker, a drinker, a thinker, a singer, a dancer, a chef, a music lover, and so much more. And I've hardly begun to define you... December 21, 2018 Entry in "You are not defined by" poetry contest Sponsor: John Hamilton