Borrowed

'Borrowed plumes' Harrison Weir's illustration of The Vain Jackdaw, 1881

Everything I have is borrowed

nothing tangible is really mine

from the air I breathe

to the body I wear

all has come from elsewhere in time.

*

I may live my life 'til I'm ninety

lesser or longer maybe

but whatever I touch

and whatever I gain

has been borrowed for my moment in time.

*

At birth I borrowed my parents

to give me the body you see

from the earth around

with its vast abounds

I still borrow the food that I eat.

*

The place where I live

and the tools I use

all borrowed from some other place

and the questions I ask

as I come to this view

is from whom have I borrowed my soul?

*

Dennis Crompton © 1995