Inward Being

How strong would it have to be
Not to be much determined
By the world surrounding it,

And where would that strength come from?
No, the question is how much
Is determined by the world,

If not everything? You can
Vector up your diagrams,
Divide individual

Genetic inheritance
From surrounding environs
And draw thick or thin arrows

To illustrate contributions
You believe those sources make,
But the real point is the third thing

That emerges from all sides
In the center of the thing.
If there’s an inward being,

It’s neither just imported
Nor innate, not yet teamwork
With any kind of intent.

It’s accident, byproduct,
Conundrum, one-off, spandrel,
The you that happens to be

Thanks to whatever happened
Between the powers that be
Culture and biology

(More vectors to diagram,
Huzzah!) That’s not it either.
There’s something hidden, inward,

So far still invisible
To scans, that does its small dance
In the chambers of the brain,

Something to do with substrate
But sprouted from whatever
Pollen happened to blow in.