my brain and
heart divorced
a decade ago
over who was
to blame about
how big of a mess
I have become
eventually,
they couldn't be
in the same room
with each other
now my head and heart
share custody of me
I stay with my brain
during the week
and my heart
gets me on weekends
they never speak to one another
- instead, they give me
the same note to pass
to each other every week
and their notes they
send to one another always
says the same thing:
"This is all your fault"
on Sundays
my heart complains
about how my
head has let me down
in the past
and on Wednesday
my head lists all
of the times my
heart has screwed
things up for me
in the future
they blame each
other for the
state of my life
there's been a lot
of yelling - and crying
so,
lately, I've been
spending a lot of
time with my gut
who serves as my
unofficial therapist
most nights, I sneak out of the
window in my ribcage
and slide down my spine
and collapse on my
gut's plush leather chair
that's always open for me
~ and I just sit sit sit sit
until the sun comes up
last evening,
my gut asked me
if I was having a hard
time being caught
between my heart
and my head
I nodded
I said I didn't know
if I could live with
either of them anymore
"my heart is always sad about
something that happened yesterday
while my head is always worried
about something that may happen tomorrow,"
I lamented
my gut squeezed my hand
"I just can't live with
my mistakes of the past
or my anxiety about the future,"
I sighed
my gut smiled and said:
"in that case,
you should
go stay with your
lungs for a while,"
I was confused
- the look on my face gave it away
"if you are exhausted about
your heart's obsession with
the fixed past and your mind's focus
on the uncertain future
your lungs are the perfect place for you
there is no yesterday in your lungs
there is no tomorrow there either
there is only now
there is only inhale
there is only exhale
there is only this moment
there is only breath
and in that breath
you can rest while your
heart and head work
their relationship out."
this morning,
while my brain
was busy reading
tea leaves
and while my
heart was staring
at old photographs
I packed a little
bag and walked
to the door of
my lungs
before I could even knock
she opened the door
with a smile and as
a gust of air embraced me
she said
"what took you so long?"
~ john roedel
- link to post on facebook
- To anyone who loves this author's words, he has written a book! Check out his website at https://www.johnroedel.com
25 comments:
What a fabulous poem. What a wonderful way to talk about breathing in the here and now - literally. it speaks to what I believe but often mislay in my head and my heart. Thankyou John Roedel for providing such a great image and magic.
Just absolutely love it! Didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I did both at the same time. I do not reccomend. . .and breathe 🙏
John Roedel,
Your poem is life changing. Words we may have heard before but your unique perspective is beyond thought provoking.
It’s intriguing, intelligent, emotional and visceral.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful poem that resonates with us all. Grateful for you!
John Roedel,
Your poem is life changing. Words we may have heard before but your unique perspective is beyond thought provoking.
It’s intriguing, intelligent, emotional and visceral.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful poem that resonates with us all. Grateful for you!
Truthful, moving and lovely.
Truthful, moving and lovely.
This is superb. I needed superb. I will be looking forward to more of your work. I truly mean it when I say that I needed this poem today. I needed to feel thie meaning of the words and to feel my responses to them. That was joyful and touching and deep.
John, within the first two lines you had me. I immediately connected with this poem. I knew the feeling, the split. That is me. Thank you for such a poignant poem. It is a clever, insightful, sweet, vulnerable and true concept. It made me smile with every line. There I was, right there, on paper, with you. Seriously, thank you!
Brilliant!!!
Beautiful, powerful images of the internal struggles familiar to many. Thank you for such an eloquent work of feeling.
I just love this poem. The sound of freedom in our lungs, very cool and absolutely true.
Thank you for such sage and moving words, just brilliant.
Powerful poem that I heard for first time yesterday at Yoga. It really spoke to where I am at present 👌✨
Absolutely brilliant! Thank you for sharing your talent with the world!
Thank you! I'm not getting into a posture to breath and have my heart and head become "not two" :-)
Thank you 😁
Love this poem! Wondering about the sanctuary of the breath if one has had partial lung removal because of cancer. Past and future seems caught up even in the lungs because of the trauma experienced there. Any suggestions?
Stunning
This platform isn't letting me post a direct reply to Dunno's question above:
"Love this poem! Wondering about the sanctuary of the breath if one has had partial lung removal because of cancer. Past and future seems caught up even in the lungs because of the trauma experienced there. Any suggestions?"
Speaking not as the author but someone who collects beautiful words of wisdom, I'll share what my meditation teacher taught us about breath.
He shared a story about a man riding an elephant through a marketplace once and the elephant's trunk was wandering all over the place. It was a little tricky maneuvering through a narrow spot since it kept wanting to reach out and touch everything. They found that in order to get elephants from one spot to the other more seamlessly, the elephant needs a "handle" and if they gave it something to hold onto, like a stick, then it would be less likely to wander around seeking for something to grab.
The mind is like that. It wanders all over the place. The purpose of the breath is to act as a handle. This works for many people but not everyone. But the good news is that technically you don't need the lungs or breath to be the central, neutral place, the place of rest as depicted here. You can pick whatever works for you. Maybe it's the eyebrows, or the feet feeling grounded. If you sit comfortably in a quiet spot and check in with your body, it will tell you what your own personal place of grounding is.
Much love to you in your practice. You can feel the lightness of being in a core spot whether it be your breath or lungs or another place away from your head and heart. You can vacation anywhere in your body that feels right. If you want to share any techniques or thoughts about what is working for you to help anyone else, we are listening and appreciate it and you very much.
Thank you, John. I'm part of a group that gathers to meditate Mondays at noon California time. Each week we take turns "leading" or "guiding" the meditation. Today's person found your poem and read it and delighted us all, so that we got the link to it, and to you. Making meditation even more fun!!
This poem will stay in sll my body parts! Fabulous!
One of the finest poems I have read in recent times. Caught between the Four ... the Heart, the Head, the Lungs and the Gut, you ultimately heeded your Gut and went back to Lungs who welcomed you with open Arms. And in the process, you have highlighted the importance of Lungs over Head and Heart. That's why it is said, " Trust your Gut and go by what it says " !!!! Thanks a bunch for sharing this Awesome poem John 👍👍👌👌
Fantastic
Thank you for this emotionally felt read and connection 🧩 grateful 🙂
Thank you.
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