poem by Dave Morrison, included in his new collection of poems,
 Shake Hands With Your Heart, coming out this week

Every time it felt like too
much, every time her thoughts
shouted over each other,

every time the gears of her
mind or the grasping of her
heart made her feel weary

and bruised she would say
I need to learn how to feel
differently, I need to not
 
think the way I do, she’d think
that the only relief would come
from making some change to
herself.

I say, shake hands with your
heart, play nice with your
mind, form a truce, accept

them as the idiosyncratic
true old friends that they
are.  Sometimes the drafty

old house lets in the most
light and air, not everything
needs to be fixed.  The heart

that hurts so often gives off
a righteous light, the mind
that manufactures such worry

also offers up knowing and
discovery and humor and
vision.

Shake hands with your heart;
accept, adapt, appreciate.

She might say I’ve been
trying my whole life.

I would say I know.
Well done.

Join the Downtown Poetry Party at the Camden Opera House this Friday, January 30th at 7pm. It will be an evening of poetry, performance, and party to celebrate the release of Dave’s 10th collection of poetry!