I Want To Return My Heart, Cried Robo The Robot

Can one be perfectly happy (or even happier!) without a silly heart to interfere with the workings of the crafty brain?

One of the top 5 entries for May’s muse of the month writing cue, “What does the brain matter compared with the heart?” (from Mrs.Dalloway, Virginia Woolf).

Why oh why, sobbed Robo the Robot,
Why did you give me a heart?
My brain was enough to make me live,
Then why the thump-thump underneath my shirt?

The heart is a nuisance, O Learned Master,
It is as stupid as they get,
‘Tis Forever at war with the brain,
The most stubborn thing I ever met!

The brain, old chap, so clever and fair,
Wisely warns “No, no, no”,
The heart, all smiles, claps its hands,
And screams “Go, go, GO”.

Go it does, the crazy heart, without a thought or plan,
And falls flat on its face,
It comes back with a black eye, bruises and scars,
All thanks to its restlessness.

“Told you so”, nods the brain, “you stupid little brat”,
You should be put on a leash,
You get hurt every time, you fool,
Why don’t you ever listen to me, geez!”

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Wiser words have never been spoken,
And I agree with my brain, I do,
But the silly heart has a mind of its own,
And it doesn’t think anything through.

My boy, smiled the scientist, smoothing his silver hair,
I will do my best to be gentle,
But if I didn’t give you a heart, you know what,
You would only be a lump of metal.

Don’t look shocked, my dear Robo,
It’s the honest truth, I say,
Till the day I gave you a heart,
You didn’t live even for a day.

You added numbers in your head,
And solved problems like a legend,
You knew all that was there to know,
And I thank you, as my work was truly lessened.

But my boy, you never smiled,
You didn’t know how to love,
You knew about the galaxy alright,
But you couldn’t pray to the One above.

You didn’t know what happiness meant,
(No, it’s not a chemical reaction!),
You didn’t know to burst into giggle,
Or the fire of irresistible attraction.

You didn’t know the power of faith,
Or the flutter of hope in the dark,
You didn’t know how tears could sting,
And how wonderful the children’s’ laugh in the park.

You didn’t know the bond of friendship,
Or to bask in the sun,
You didn’t know to sway to the music,
Or what it meant to have fun.

You didn’t know jealousy could destroy,
Or the joy of sharing and giving,
You didn’t know the pain of loss,
And you thought you were living?

O Learned Mater, sobbed the Robot,
So stupid I have been,
I like my brain, but without the heart,
I am like a fish without its fin.

I will listen to my heart, when its speaks,
Maybe it does make sense,
But I will check with my brain if it’s OK,
And see if they can be friends.

Pic credit: Alvin Trusty (Used under a Creative Commons license)

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