Who am I

Who am I
Am I the bird in the sky?
But birds live in cages too.
Am I the tree in the forest
A delicate balance of give and take
But trees don’t go anywhere.
Am I a cloud, ephemeral
Here one minute, gone the next
Only to appear once conditions are right again?

Who am I
Am I the breeze that blows
Lonely, caressing, loved but only in small doses?
Am I a river flowing
Journeying where no one else can
Only to have my identity removed when I merge with something bigger?
Am I perhaps the earth
Giving, giving, giving
Only receiving erosion in its stead?

Who am I
Am I the sun, moon or the stars
So far from reach yet essential for survival?
Am I human
Who destroys that which sustains it
So fearful it has forgotten who it is?
I must be the universe then
To have all this in me
And outside of me.

Is that who I am?
Perhaps a better question to ask
Would be not who I am
But what I want to be
For then I can decide
The parameters of my expression
Reject that which does not apply
Embrace that which does
And finally be true to who I am.


This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon.

26 responses to “Who am I”

  1. our choices makes us who we are….the wiser our decisions are the closer we are to what we want to be. beautiful poem.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s a great way of looking at it. Thank you ☺️

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  2. Ultimately who we want to be matters – do we want to be caring and loving or cruel and destructive? Profound lines that draw you in and make you think – what is the mark you want to leave behind…

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    1. Thank you Brindha! Really liked your interpretation of what mark we want to leave behind.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. That’s a difficult question to answer, really! 🙂
    But wow! You have a way with words, Suchita. And I say always, please write more.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much Shalini 😊

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  4. We are the sum of all things we do & desire

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    1. Do and desire – so action and dream. I like this, thank you.

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  5. Anagha Yatin Avatar
    Anagha Yatin

    No easy answer here. A question that perpetually hangs in the subconscious of every breath taken is all but a mirage and so are the answers. To each their own.
    You manufactured a storm of thoughts and made me pause and wonder is it who or is it what?

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    1. That’s an interesting perspective – that both the ques and the answer are but a mirage.

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  6. This is such a deep question where we need to understand what we really want to become. But then does it always help us get the answer? It’s an ongoing process I guess.

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    1. Oh yes definitely it’s an ongoing process. I don’t think we are ever “finished.”

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  7. living on your stage
    a lovely coming of age

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    1. Very poetic – thank you!

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  8. It’s such a deep question. I love how you have wondered if you were the bird, forest, cloud.. and all of that. Beautifully written. All of us contain a little of the universe within us. Life is a miracle indeed. I loved that last para. The important question is who we want to be. Because then we can decide truly who we want to be. I loved this! ❤️😍

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Shweta ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re most welcome 🙂

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  9. A simple question, and yet difficult to answer. It’s a beautiful and thought-provoking composition!

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    1. Thanks Tarang!

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  10. Ideally there should not be a chasm between who I am and what I want to be. Enjoyed your poem, nevertheless.

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    1. Absolutely. But one is easier to answer and can lead to the other. Thank you 🙂

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  11. Tat Twam Asi. That thou art. Our ancestors had the same question and all the upanishads and gita and vedas try and answer the very same question.

    Each of us must discover this truth for ourselves. No two truths are the same and all truths lead to the same. Don’t you agree?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tat Twam Asi. That thou art. – thank you for this. It reminds me that finding ourselves is often a deconstruction rather than a construction.

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      1. That’s true! Looking within. So difficult yet sounds simple

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Is it just me or others feel it too, the pictures attached to any blog have special significance in creating the theme? What a beautiful post this is 🙂 Indeed a question must be who I want to be…

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    1. I know I choose my pictures carefully when posting a blogpost 🙂 Thank you Kavita!

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