I did not ask,
I did not ask to emerge from the firmament,
I did not ask to grow, and learn, and make mistakes and start over,
I did not ask to feed a whole soul by way of wide-eyed wonder,

I did not ask,
To consider my self,
To bear the burden of loving a stranger,
To practice the discipline of forgiving,

I did not ask,
To find my way in the dark and reach out to touch the only force in time and space as awesome as love,

I did not seek out,
He who is who is,
The creator and the curator,
The alpha and the omega,
The author of the rise and the conductor of the fall,
To ask if I may embark on one long lifetime as a Rational Animal,

I know, I know,
One should never forget,
That to be here at all is an incredible gift,
But before I am judged on how I have lived,
Let it be known, 
I didn’t ask, for any of this.