Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Head v Heart


No student of poetry the head says study the art.
Appear intelligent in the eyes of the reader.
Look good.

The heart says feel the words,
let emotion light your way.

Head versus heart.
Raised to think. To reason.
To hold emotion in check.
Hide the hurt. Laugh at trouble. Don't cry.
The head will lie. Create dark stories.
The effort makes me tired.

Emotions bring connections.
Tears cleanse the soul.
They are not always sad.
Tears of joy. Happiness.
It's okay to feel. It's okay to express.

Flow as water. Round rocky obstacles.
Falling with grace and beauty.
Gathering in pools of deep calm.
Moving freely with your surroundings.

Flow as blood through the heart.

19 comments:

the walking man said...

I know a hundred poets that have studied the art, the best of them are those that do not fear public nudity.

Monkey Man said...

TWM - You are amazing. I love the FULL meaning of your comment.

Inside our hands, outside our hearts said...

LOL @ Walking Man. Silly!

I don't FEAR nudity, I just avoid it, minus a shower...smiles

Monkey Man, how I love writing that name it makes me smile and then look at the extra large monkey I was once given and have chosen to keep through the years. (yeah yeah I know) Anyway, there is nothing wrong with the emotions you describe. They do all that you have spoken of in this piece and more.
Several others have touched me this week with EMOTIONAL pieces. All too often we forget that the people that read our work are waiting and searching, just like us, for that one story, a romantic poem, or article that will let them exhale giving them permission to breathe once again. I am one of them.

Hold back my emotions? Ha! Touch me with them and I will be like everyone else...finally set free.

T

Monkey Man said...

T -
It is freeing and that is why I write these days. Therapy. God knows I need it.
Monkey Man

Matty said...

Your thoughts and feelings really come through in your writing.

Caty said...

I agree, M.M. Who needs therapy when there is writing :) this was a great poem and "therapeutic" for me as well!

Anonymous said...

Considering that I am now brave enough to cry in public restaurants and bars, and have written a poem about it, naturally I connect with every word you wrote.

Head vs Heart, a true tearing down of the walls!

beautiful and touching

moondustwriter said...

I used to work on a PTSD unit for Vets. One of the most powerful tools we used was writing poetry.

Your encouragement to write from the heart is wise. A poem can be constructed perfectly but without heart its words on a page.

thanks for coming to 1 Stop Poetry. Hoping we can build some dialogue for writers of all shapes and sizes

Anonymous said...

I agree...

let the heart feel,

the head will understand.

Brian Miller said...

thanks for linking up with oneshot monkey! go with the heart in poetry use the head in making decisions...that is my motto...

Anonymous said...

this is absolutely one of the best and most beautiful expressions of heart and soul I've read in a very long time!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful choice of going with the heart...Love the way you express this. Heartspell

Marshy said...

Hi monkey and thanks for sharing..its good to get a chance to read your work other than 160 day and what a great piece it was!!
Its so true when I write with my head i write as a student, i write a someone else, when i write with my heart i capture me, i capture what i want to say. In this mad world poetry gives us a chance to be ruled by the heart when everyday life demands a head reaction..cheers Pete

Unknown said...

I usually only visit you on Flash Fridays and am really glad I stopped by today. These words touched me deeply. You have a gift.

PattiKen said...

Hi, MM! Your first stanza sounds like I wrote it. I know the struggle. I've decided to try to write with the heart, and edit with the head, and hope that throughout it all, the soul will shine through.

Yours did.

Claudia said...

"Gathering in pools of deep calm..." I love this!

TALON said...

Writing from the heart is always truthful. It takes courage, but the results are beautiful as evidenced by this poem.

Anonymous said...

These words are true and this poem is superb...indeed there are no students of poetry...it only takes the imaginative ability of the head and the emotional control of the heart.

Kira Stann said...

I can relate to this. It is a peeling away of the onion skin to reveal the sometimes not so sweet core of ourselves and learning to accept it gracefully. Thanks for sharing, it was very inspiring!