My 'Friday Poem' selection for the week, entitled "Listen to Me":
Listen to me, please, I need to talk to you;
Give me only a few minutes;
Accept what I experience, what I feel,
Without reserve, without judgement.
Listen to me, please, I need to talk;
Do not bombard me with questions, advice and opinions;
Do not feel obliged to settle my difficulties,
Could it be that you lack confidence in my competence?
Listen to me, please, I need to talk;
Do not try to entertain or amuse me,
It would make me think you fail to understand the importance
Of what I am going through.
Listen to me, please, I need to talk;
Do not feel it your duty to approve, if I need to tell my story
It is simply to be set free.
Listen to me, please, I need to talk;
Do not interpret and try not to analyse;
I would feel misunderstood and manipulated,
And could no longer tell you anything.
Listen to me, please, I need to talk;
Do not interrupt me to question me;
Do not attempt to force me to reveal what is hidden,
I know how far I can and will go.
Listen to me, please, I need to talk;
Respect the silences which help me to make progress;
Be very careful not to break them;
It is very often through them that things are clarified.
So now that you have let me have my say,
I beg you, now you may speak;
Attentive and at your disposal,
I, in my turn, will listen to you.
-- Author Unknown
