The phrase "was ich habe will ich nicht verlieren" ("What I have, I do not want to lose") is from a poem by Thomas Brasch. The full text of the poem goes: Was ich habe, will ich nicht verlieren, aber
wo ich bin, will ich nicht bleiben, aber
die ich liebe, will ich nicht verlassen, aber
die ich kenne, will ich nicht mehr sehen, aber
wo ich lebe, da will ich nicht sterben, aber
wo ich sterbe, da will ich nicht hin:
Bleiben will ich, wo ich nie gewesen bin. This poem expresses a tension between attachment and desire for change or escape. Brasch wrote this poem in 1977, and it appears in his collection Kargo published by Suhrkamp Verlag. The lines have been noted for reflecting his conflicted feelings about place, love, memory, and death, capturing a sense of restlessness and existential uncertainty in the divided Germany context he lived in.

Thomas Brasch (1945–2001) was a British and German author, poet, and film director known for his critically acclaimed literary and film works, often touching on social and political themes of his time.