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Can we listen?

Listen

Can we listen?

Can we roll

down the volume

in our minds

flick off

ego

plant ourselves

firm

and listen?

 

Cause  there’s a 22 year old

hanging from the beams

of her bedroom

on a Saturday night

 

There are children

too afraid

to speak

Can we hear their silence?

There hands twitiching

to move

to swipe away the adult

touching

 

There are

boys strapping bombs

to their bellies

Can we hear them?

See them?

 

There are partners

walking away

can you hear

the slap of slippers

Click of a door

start of an engine?

 

There are colleagues

in conflict

words flying

everywhere

but the ears

of those

they struggle with

Can you hear their

predetermined

judgements

assumptions

analyses

flung about

mindlessly?

 

There are students

cursing

fighting

quitting

can you hear the

scrape of gates closing?

 

Are we listening?

What’s going on

when we think

we’re listening?

 

Or are we

just

formulating

judging

negating

floating

away

with our

own need

to be heard

to be right?

 

What if we commit

to working

on this skill

the skill of listening

practice routinely

like yoga

or writing

or running

or playing the flute?

 

What if we cultivate

nurture

exercise daily

the kind of listening

that does not

involve us?

 

What if we

place our attention

on the other

another

and open

ourselves

up

without

anywhere

to go

to say

to comment

to advise

to direct?

 

What if we simply

said

please go on

tell me more…

 

 

 

 

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