ON LOAN

So many things to consider

when I sit down to eat my dinner...

 

I live in a house I call my own

even though it belongs to the bank

and I just live here on loan.  

 

The table at which I sit,

first came to the family

when my Grandfather purchased it.

 

As a boy, I ate here and studied,

celebrated birthdays with my buddies.

 

Now it sits in the bank’s dining room.

I still eat my meals here,

but the table will be someone else’s

when I take to my tomb.

 

These children too,

I say they are mine

but soon enough they will be on their own,

just a matter of time.

 

I could become fearful while thinking these thoughts,

wondering if life has meaning or whether it ought

to be enough to be grateful

and feel like a winner

because I’ve been given

children

and table

and house

and dinner.