Fly Paper

my life is made of fly paper
everyone I brush by leaves a little something behind
with every new character I gain a new perspective
every new relationship adds new characteristics
I'm eclectic and scattered
like a jigsaw puzzle completed from 5 different sets
a lego castle of assorted pieces
a patchwork quilt of emotion and experience

but is this a bad thing?
am I expected to peel off the layers to find my true self beneath?
I am human made up of the lives I've lived by myself and with others
a real life matryoshka doll, but is the smallest doll the truest?

every time I have loved I have lost a little,
gained a little, lived a little
looking at me now as compared to the day I was born
you would see me plus life plus love plus hate plus emotion plus experience
and can it be said that there is a "me" separate from the rest?
I don't think so.

who am I?
I am a summation of who I have been, who I want to be
who I have known, who I have loved
what I have lost, what I strive for.
taking away any or all of these vital elements
removes the "me" from Me

yes, I have changed...because I have lived.