9/18/10

Retort
By Christina Rodriguez


"Thou art a fool," said my head to my heart...The heart is a fool indeed. The heart falls so easily. It can be the curve of a smile or the curl of a tempting lock. It can be the timbre of their voice or the melody of their laugh. The heart falls for the idea of a person. But the head, oh dear head. The head gives a name to the idea. The head turns swiftly to the beat of that name. The head blushes when the name says hi. The head smiles when the name gets close. The head loses itself in the name of that name because that name is love. It's spelled in a thousand ways, housed in a million of bodies. But in the end, that's the name of the idea of a person, love. Love could be anybody, anyone. Love can walk into the room or ride away in a subway car. Sometimes, we may not even get the name of its alias. Love lives in every being and the head is waiting to make its own special identification. But the heart is the one who tells the head when love is near. The head only gives a face to the name. The head and the heart are both foolish slaves to love.


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Christina Rodriguez wouldn't know a career choice if it hit her on the head with a wad of cash and health benefits. Living in Queens, New York in an attic with her mother as a recent college graduate, her days are filled with job hunting while her nights are filled with poetry and margaritas.