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The Anatomy of Peace (formerly titled "How to Live With My Body")

Updated: Jun 5, 2023

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 Wednesdays 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 (johnroedel.com)


This poem can be purchased as wall art right here.



You can support John's writing by buying him a cup of tea right here.



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dung do
dung do
Jun 27
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cie kalyl
cie kalyl
May 22

Geometry Dash a popular video game known for its rhythmic gameplay and geometric challenges, has captivated players around the world.

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I am really impressed with your article. The information that's not my neighbor you share will be an important document for me to learn more about this topic.

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VioAnne Otieno
VioAnne Otieno
Apr 21, 2022

It’s a beautiful poem - bumped into it on Monday 18th April and have read it and listened to the YouTube narration everyday, sometimes twice! Rushing to order «Upon Departure»

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Sharlene Hansen
Sharlene Hansen
Feb 11, 2022

I love this so much! So wonderfully expressed. Is this in one of you published books? I would love to find it in a collection to share with a loved one. <3.

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