Listening
By
John I. Blair
So soon we leap to speak our minds,
Sometimes shouting to be heard,
Standing so certain on our convictions,
Knowing we're right, and ready to fight.
How little value we seem to place
On the skill of listening first,
Just listening, and being still,
Hearing what others have to say.
And after listening, thinking hard,
Reflecting on words that we have heard,
Bouncing them around inside our brains
Until we really understand.
Only then should we share our thoughts,
Always remembering that what we say
We'll have to live with for many a day.
©2003 John I. Blair
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