You Have a Body

You have a body.

You’re not air.

You’re not just anywhere,

you’re THERE.

I suppose you might feel new with it,

wondering what you might do with it.

Those arms and legs

can be flung about.

You can walk

or run

or fall over

FLAT

which is, of course,

the problem with that.

You can breathe, you can gasp,

you can cough, sneeze or rasp.

You have fingers!

You can grasp!

And it’s all yours

to do what you want with,

to turn right round or

face the front with.

Or mostly yours,

though some of it belongs

to your mum and dad

to remind them of the bodies

they once had.

And yet it’s yours –

you’ll see it grow

though not so that

you ever know.

It’s fun, it’s great,

something you learn to operate.

Just pinch yourself and see.

Who is that? It’s YOU not me.

It’s yours to wear and yours to be.

And it comes free!

George Szirtes