Am I not the person

Am I not the person

I once was

How can this not be

How could it be different

When what I see is me

My eyes behold all I have become

Nothing can replace

The beating of my heart

The rhythm of myself

Brain cells may die

Never to return

But my own thoughts still remain

As my consciousness maintains

A firm grip upon my soul

I may change my opinion

See the world anew

Derive a changed perspective

From deeper thinking

Learned experience

Come to regret past mistakes

Try to make amends

Yearn to act differently

But I am the same person

I always was

Which is no more bad than good

It is the only percept

I control

And personhood

Is the only borrowed thing

I will ever truly own

Even for a short time.