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
Copyright ©
Gershon Wolf
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