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Is my head ruled by my heart?

Or is my heart ruled by my head?

And what about my spirit or my soul?

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My heart beats on sheer emotions

And I react more than I act.

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My head thrives on planning

And worst case scenarios.

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My heart breaks with so much sadness

For what I can’t control.

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My head thinks that surely

I can fix it all.

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If I defer to C.S. Lewis* my heart needs to step back

Let my head take the reins a little more.

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But when you have a head like mine, it can’t always be trusted

To see things clearly as they truly are.

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So I guess we’ll work together

Head and heart and soul,

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To navigate this life

Every day.

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Often starting over

And finding middle ground.

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Amongst the logic and emotions

The joy and the pain.

“The heart never takes the place of the head; but it can, and should, obey it.” – C.S. Lewis

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“I guess we’ll work together” - I love the simplicity and profundity of this. This is such a thought provoking poem, Karri. I spent such a big part of my life thinking my head was supposed to rule my heart and obsessing over concepts like “self mastery.” I’ve largely flipped that on its head (heart?) in recent years and am living mostly from the heart, but of course we are never just the one or the other, are we?

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"So I guess we'll work together" 🧡

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This is such a thoughtful and searing poem, Karri. These lines are so clear and piercing: “ so I guess we’ll work together, head and heart and soul”. The poem is full of incisive and insightful lines. Thank you for sharing!

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I love this exploration of how to operate your navigational equipment, Karri. And I'm so glad you're not deferring to C.S. Lewis's *thinking*, but to balance. I can relate. For me, my entire body's wisdom is also part of the balancing act...I believe it tells the truth, unlike my often-wily head.

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