An organ for cooling the blood,
how the brain forms—
having nice manners really,
I hear you say.
Nice behaviour with tranquillity,
of heart and lungs–
when meeting others, especially
those with vile tempers
But never your own, you think;
what’s in the spleen,
or viscera (so-called)—
the body in motion
Water in the brain, you see, what
comes from a mountain,
volcano or lava, if somewhere else,
what matters now
The heart at rest indeed, what
the Ancients knew best
I will tell about again—
trying to imagine you.
This poem “After Aristotle” originally appeared in Tracking CanLit. Spec. issue of Canadian Literature 220 (Spring 2014): 73.
Please note that works on the Canadian Literature website may not be the final versions as they appear in the journal, as additional editing may take place between the web and print versions. If you are quoting reviews, articles, and/or poems from the Canadian Literature website, please indicate the date of access.