Are You Listening?



Are you listening?

I do not speak often,
And when I do,
I don’t say very much.

Are you listening?

Looking into your eyes,
I can see the traffic of
Your thoughts;
It is rush hour,
And your brain is busy.

Are you listening?

My thoughts and feelings
Are hapless pedestrians
Waiting for the light to change
So they can cross your mind.

Are you listening?

During a pause,
I thought I glimpsed
The flash of the “walk” light;
Perhaps we might communicate,
And that will answer my question.

Are you listening?

Within your awkward glance,
I discovered my words
Run down in the crosswalk by
The relentless traffic of your life;
They died without an afterthought.

Are you listening?

Your stressful thoughts, like racing cars,
Careen down your mental streets
Without stop lights to direct them;
Their collisions pile up in your mind,
Where the fires will burn until there's nothing left.

Are you listening?

© 2005 by Robert E. Blackwell