the human brain is huge
thank god
but why did it get so big

one theory is this:
its cooling of the blood
was needful on the sundrenched savannah
whence we came of age

our powerful cognition, by this reasoning,
is merely a happy accident

of course it became our ticket to ride
nay to rule

another theory i have come across
is that intellect
and suffering
positively correlate

which is to say that the smarter one is
the more sorts and severity of pain
one feels

in considering this second theory
i think of morality
and empathy

of the pain we feel perceiving injustice
and of how we process others’ pain

and then my brain – big bag of cooling blood that it is – it says
that’s why when it hurts
we say it smarts

which is nonsense

a third theory (and i hasten to disclaim
that all three are dubious hearsay):

i’ve heard it said that the brain is the only organ
which named itself

 

IGWRT Button rsz