Anger

The muscles are tense

And the fist closes,

The breathing audible

And the heart races,

The blood pumps fast

As intense energy bursts,

Blood flows into the limbs

And all senses are alert,

Locked on target

The attention focuses,

As the body prepares

For the impending fight.

Two almond shaped centres

Amygdala of the brain,

Reacts before the cortex

Can even reason it out,

Wired in our brains

To react before we think,

Burst of secretions

Of hormones and chemicals,

Kick-starts an action

Of evasive self-protection,

Sets off a reaction

Of being aroused in anger.

Anger is a response

To an emotional hurt,

It is the response to a pain

Of rejection or threat,

Pain is an emotion

That depletes and drains,

But anger has the power

To stimulate and revive,

Transforming the reaction

Of pain into anger,

Is but an innate technique

Of self-preservation.

In anger you hit out

At people who cause harm,

The focus now shifts

From self to the ‘other’,

It provides you a distraction

From a feeling of helplessness,

It fluffs you into feeling

Morally superior and righteous,

You now feel in control

In charge of the situation,

For it protects you temporarily,

From facing the reality of your pain.

The real reason for pain

Is actually within you,

You are only as vulnerable

As you allow yourself to be,

No one can emotionally hurt you

Unless you open yourself to it,

Little tiffs in life

Really don’t matter,

Let us save our anger for

Larger global issues,

That affects the earth

And her poorest of poor.

(26th August 2006, Nellore)
© Nalini Hebbar/openmind/2009 - all rights reserved
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