On Children

Your children are not your children;
They are the sons and daughters of
Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you
but they are not from you
And though they are with you
They belong not to you.
You may give them your love
but not your thoughts,
They have their own thoughts.
They have their own thoughts.
You can house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in a place of tomorrow,
Which you cannot visit,
not even in your dreams.
You can strive to be like them,
but you cannot make them just like you.
Strive to be like them
but you cannot make them just like you
Your children are not your children;
They are the sons and daughters of
Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you
but they are not from you
And though they are with you
They belong not to you.
You may give them your love
but not your thoughts,
They have their own thoughts.
They have their own thoughts.
You can house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in a place of tomorrow,
Which you cannot visit,
not even in your dreams.
You can strive to be like them,
but you cannot make them just like you.
Strive to be like them
but you cannot make them just like you