by Catherine OBrian

At the core, uncontrolled
fires melt metallic dreams
neither realized nor remembered,

So rapidly are they rendered
amorphous in the flaming furnace
of the dreamer’s subconscious mind.

Beyond the biological determinism
of deoxyribonucleic acid, dopamine,
and molecularly imprinted memories,

Does free will exist or is it merely
a conceit that science will dismiss
with other dated dogmas, Cartesian
dualism and the pope’s flat earth?

Am I sitting beside you in blissful
contentment at the dictate of genes
and neurotransmitters, or do character and
love transcend molecular machinations?

Smiling you reply that relationships
shape us and I should not lose sleep
over the number of neurotransmitters
that might dance on the head of a pin.

Catherine OBrian is a medical writer with a background in academic biomedical sciences. She has over one hundred scientific publications, but is relatively new to creative writing. She is a member of the Poetry Center of Chicago and has a poem accepted for publication at Penny Ante Feud.

Editor’s Note: “Cartesian Doubt Revisited” originally appeared in Miller’s Pond Poetry Magazine.