It’s an art, it’s a way, the porthole to another world.
To really listen, you have to wear their shoes,
where they have come from,
their experiences, hopes for the future,
their wants and wishes,
their feelings,
times they are blatant, others not so much,
they reveal their needs, in their own way.
They are not you and you are not them.
Your agenda, your thoughts, your dreams
are not theirs,
unless you are on the same page,
many times not,
in fact you could be reading different books.
You didn’t hear me!
I heard but that was not my path, my way, my thoughts.
A collision of words.
Will you listen to me!
I am listening!
No you are not!
To do what is asked,
to have others feel like you are listening,
you have to wear their shoes,
where they have come from,
their experiences,
their hopes for the future,
their wants and wishes,
their feelings.
That goes beyond listening,
that is compassion,
empathy,
respect,
love.
-Jennie Nawrocki
penaugural 