It is wiser to light a candle than to curse the darkness ~Peter Benenson
Regretfully, while you’ve been sharing opinions, not my own
I’ve been unreceptive to openly hearing your words.
Misperceptions painting painful dark clouds over my heart and ears.
Upon meditating and recognizing lingering inner wound’s shadows,
the insight that we both suffer is being clearly realized.
How could I have understood the truth of your suffering
without having an understanding of mine?
If I don’t understand myself -the good, the bad, the ugly,
how can I understand you, really?
Here, now
choosing not to run away from myself
so not to run away from you, either.
Not covering up difficult feelings
with consumption of food, pleasures and media.
Recognizing and embracing loneliness,
anger, sadness, grief, anxiety, and other painful feelings.
I am here for you my hurt feelings,
holding and comforting you.
Allowing your energies to organically dissolve,
to float passed on my blue sky of emotion
transforming into calm, smiling sunshine.
Feeling lighter and more free
I am ready to hear your words.
Open to understanding your deepest desires;
what do you wish to accomplish in this sweet short life?
Staying present for words
whether fragrant as flowers
or foul as sewage.
Not blaming you, not blaming me.
Courageously returning to my in & out breaths
keeping mind and body at one & at ease.
This precious life is so fleeting.
What can be more important
than harmony and peace between us?
Offering my true presence
you seem very real to me;
your flowers and your mud.
Glimpsing our interbeing nature.
I can hear you now!
Do you feel heard?
A few days of Calif precipitation
has added a cup of water
to our bucket of drought.
My rain gratitude meditation continues;
thank you clouds!
smilecalm 
Listening is the most dangerous thing of all, listening means knowing, finding out about something and knowing what’s going on, our ears don’t have lids that can instinctively close against the words uttered, they can’t hide from what they sense they’re about to hear, it’s always too late 🙂 🙂
i certainly hope so!
thanks for your insight
that i think i’m hearing 🙂
I think learning to listen is one of the most important, healing, and transformative things we can do. Beautiful poem, and so very right. We can never truly hear others until we deeply listen to ourselves.
thank you for your kind confirmation, my friends!
i believe i am hearing you now 🙂
“Generally speaking, if your lips are moving you aren’t learning much.”
thanks for this important insight, Ben!
sometime my lips are moving
just like revving an engine
at the stop light 🙂
I love you and your deep ecology of mind and being, David. Each Saturday, your words move me to the core of my own being. You are filled with humility and honesty and I am grateful for knowing you at this level of being. Also. I’m so glad and grateful for the rain you are experiencing. Here, the weather has turned a bit more normal and we too have rain on the horizon. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for this meditative poem on hearing and listening.
This precious life is so fleeting.
What can be more important
than harmony and peace between us?
Bruce
i’m moved that my little offering is meaningful to you, Bruce!
it’s wonderful when the creative muse appears
as it’s often on holiday somewhere else.
this week i thought to admit the need
to listen better. perhaps i’m not the only one 🙂
I am here for you my hurt feelings – so much in these few words – being present to one’s own pain and open to hearing the words of another. Flowers or sewage, flowers or mud – opening to all the words. I am so passionate about words and the dream of being heard. Thank you for this post.
i appreciate your kind words, Francis! nice hearing that you are open to these words, pretty and less-so. 🙂
What I love about this is that you start with yourself. We can only love and accept others as much as we love and accept ourselves. You have articulated this beautifully in this piece. Also, I love the ears! 🙂
thanks for your kind review and comment, Annelisa! just sharing my daily insight. also glad you like my selfie 🙂
Love this piece, it resonates with me as I try to understand and get to know myself better. Best of luck to you hearing what you need to hear 🙂
i appreciate hearing it resonates with you, kellie!
do you feel heard? 🙂
As Michael Brown says in “The Presence Process,” a book I highly recommend, the goal isn’t to feel better, but to get better at feeling. Cool thing I’ve found is that the better I get at feeling, but better I feel.
Thanks for another lovely post.
thanks for your kind insightful words, Kelly! happy knowing that you feel better 🙂
You write from deep inside. I heard it said—I think it was Jack Kornfield—that vulnerability is mysteriously linked to spirituality. You demonstrate that.
I’m always glad to happen upon beautiful people like you! Thanks for dropping by. Salee
thanks for your kind words, Salee. it’s mostly a mystery to me 🙂
Wonderful thoughts to grow and learn by.
thanks Tom! 🙂
“Nature never did betray The heart that loved her.”
that sounds like tender insight, Genie 🙂
Very nice poem! I most like the piece: If I don’t understand myself -the good, the bad, the ugly,
how can I understand you, really?. Very very nice!
thank you for
your kind understanding 🙂
Hello,amazing Blog You Have ,nice to Meet you ,EM
i smile to your kindness!
nice to meet special bloggers like you 🙂
i hear you,
we said
together.
and then,
we heard more.
❤ ~meredith
yes, 3
ears are
better than
one!
always happy
to hear from
you, meredith 🙂
waving hands
to you
today. 🙂