HEIRESS

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HEIRESS

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I am incredibly wealthy

I can't take any credit for this vast horde of wealth

I inherited all this 

I would like to thank my benefactors

But I don't know who they are

So, I will thank them all

The cave dweller who discovered the use of fire

The genius who figured out the wheel

All the herbalists, alchemists and astrologers

Whose fields expanded into modern medicine and astronomy

To the list of ancestors who have contributed

To my comfort, safety, health, enjoyment -

Thank you all for these treasured advantages

I have ease, cleanliness and spare time undreamed of  

By my hardy ancestors of yore

I feel a solemn responsibility to bequeath

This large and irreplaceable treasure, this Progress

In good standing, I place these things in the hands

Of the next generation, who have a chance to add

And not squander, all this hard-won wealth

The greatest gift, the best chance, the most possibilities

That the new generation will continue to increase in knowledge

Passing that on to future generations

Who might not even be living on Earth

Who might not have all-human bodies

Who might have a lifestyle unimaginable

To me today.

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