Let me be what I am
by Sharlene Samuel
Let me be what I am
Not what you wish for me.
I cannot fit into your plan;
That’s not the life for me.
The pomp and pride of yesterday
Have vanished in the air;
The honest human being today
Must be free from inward fear.
I’ll do the things I want to,
Whene’er I feel the need;
Not stifle my feelings as you do
By trying to keep a creed.
I’ll talk, I’ll sing, I’ll dance, I’ll shout,
I’ll run, I’ll skip, I’ll play;
I must be free as I move about
Not be burdened with each day.
I thank You Lord, for nature’s gifts
So plenteous an free;
The rising sun behind the cliffs,
The earth, the sky, the sea.
Why then should I not happy be?
Why live as if in pain?
Why waste the gifts God gives to me
By living life in vain?
Material wealth is not for me;
Its price is much too high.
Nature’s gifts are pure and free,
I’ll enjoy them till I die.
