Breathe - John Roedel

my brain and heart divorced a decade ago
over who was to blame
about how big of mess I have become

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?" 

Shared by Hazel Morley