A man comes in second in high level conversation with a smart woman, but most men don't know that.

High Level Talking For Two

With her, meaningful talk included long minutes of
silence. She took a while thinking about the right words,
adding contemplation, and to my fretting disadvantage.
Along in the middle of an easy and laid back exchange,
she could drop a ten-ton question, and wait, knowing
damned well I was low on patience and far behind.
Her goal was not to win, but to understand, and to
invite me to consider another view, perhaps, a deeper
path to explore. It was challenging to leap ahead at times,
knowing that in the end, her points would win the day.
When that happened, her body always leaned to mine and
a missing kiss, found. That always made her more human
and less, the world's most intelligent and expressive woman.
Too, she knew how to make her man feel as if his views
had prevailed; that he was not bested by an adversary.
She was good at that; especially when the conversation
became unbearably heated during times when each of
us was silent but agreed on most everything not said.


F William Broome 2008