Sometimes I think I finally understand my head

And then I realize that thought was a little premature.

 

With not a single moment’s notice

My mind can fly off on a tangent:

Bouncing from one topic to another

In a sense that no one else can understand-

Not even me,

you see,

I’m just along for the ride.

 

I can’t figure it out- why does twerking make me think of Abraham Lincoln?

How does Anderson Cooper’s face make me think of dinosaurs?

(And it’s not just me that thinks that!)

Why do I bring up bunnies,

Or rainbows,

Or butterflies

Whenever I feel uncomfortable?

Why do I have so many questions?

 

And why does no one,

have an answer?

 

People seem so normal at a distance!

But then you talk with them,

Get a peek into their mind,

And you realize that they are crazy!

Or awful,

Or awesome,

Or conceited.

You realize that you love them,

Or hate them,

All because of their mind!

Honestly, a person’s mind and thoughts-

That is their personality!

That’s pretty incredible.

 

It’s pretty scary too.

One single event can alter someone’s mind permanently,

Thus changing their personality,

Changing who they are.

It’s been said before:

A mind is a sponge,

Soaking up every action,

Every word, every consequence.

You can wring it out, but it’s all still there,

For when the water runs free from the sponge,

It leaves behind some remnants,

Of soap, dust, dirt,

Of that chicken you ate for dinner last night.

The same works for the mind:

You can try to forget that event-

The car crash, the assault, the hurricane, the battle-

And maybe you’ll forget the whole conversation,

Which car it was, what the person wore, what color the shutters on the house were,

But no matter how hard you squeeze that sponge,

There’ll still be that awful word, hubristic face, or haunting voice

To forever remind you of what you most want to forget.

 

My point?

The mind is simple, but complex:

Invincible, but weak:

Dominant, but easily affected:

Dependable, but scary.

It’s the source of who we are yet we fight against it every day,

And for all its problems, there is not one solution.

God, help us.