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Heart and Brain: The Argument

by Ken Harnisch

You shouldn’t have followed her
"I had nowhere else to go."

She knew how to break things off
"Yes, she was quite adept at goodbyes."

You said she made a living out of it
"I did. Didn’t mean I was happy she was so good at the job."

She made it clear it wouldn’t end well
"Indeed she did."

You followed her anyway
"Indeed I did."

And all the heartbreak you knew was coming, came
"Yes, nothing that happened afterwards surprised me."

And yet, it tore you apart anyway
"Ain’t love silly that way?"

In some ways, you were never whole again
"In some ways, I agree with you."

You still sift through the sands trying to find answers
"I do. And sifting takes an awful lot of time and words."

You became a lover of words, a framer of them
"I did. I found the outlet I needed to survive."

How’s that survival thing working out for you?
"I wake up and breathe and have the reason for doing so."

And that’s it?
"That’s it. I don’t need complexity to explain all this."

Would you do it all over again?
"If she was involved, probably."

Jesus, you were hooked, weren’t you?
"You should know. You were there all the way."

Yes I was, reluctant and cautious all the while
"That’s your nature. Mine was to live, just once."

You call that tragedy living?
"Actually, yes, I do. It beat plain vanilla. It always has."

Well, you know what they say about long-distance relationships
"Yes. But since when have you ever known ‘me’ to listen to ‘they?’"

05/27/2010

Author's Note: An argument that is both ageless and in many ways ceaseless

Posted on 05/27/2010
Copyright © 2024 Ken Harnisch

Member Comments on this Poem
Posted by Joan Serratelli on 05/27/10 at 04:34 PM

You're right- an ageless arguement. For me, the HEART wins everytime. The BEST poems write themselves- straight from the heart to the paper. An excellent write- thank you!

Posted by Alison McKenzie on 05/27/10 at 07:05 PM

I heart this, partly because I know it, partly because I know you just a little.

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