Heat Transfer Poem by Bill Upton

In order to process pain
We need to shift the burden of translation
From the heart to the brain.
We need to unplug emotional life support
And trust our minds to process hardship.
However much we realize this,
We always get too close to the fire.
We love, we need, we want so strongly
That separation implodes the core of our heart muscle.
We drop to our knees and close our eyes not to see.
We negotiate with emotions that have been hijacked
As though they were prisoners of war.
In these moments, we need to scotch guard our heart
So that our mind can assume the command post.
Storm clouds pass-
Every single one.
This, too, shall pass but not before leaving carnage in its wake.
We must be diligent to channel the resolution
From our hearts to our minds
Before the fading cardio pulse becomes flat-line.