Listen

When I ask you to listen to me
And you start giving advice,
You have not done what I asked.

When I ask you to listen to me
And you begin to tell me
Why I shouldn’t feel that way
You are trampling on my feelings.

When I ask you to listen to me
And you feel you have to do something
To solve my problem
You have failed me
Strange as it may seem.

Listen! All I asked you to do was listen
Not talk or do … just hear me.

And I can do for myself … I ‘m not helpless,
Maybe discouraged, and faltering,
But not helpless.

When you do something for me
That I can do and need to do for myself
You have contributed to my fear and weakness.

But, when you accept as a simple fact
That I do feel what I feel, no matter how irrational
Than I can quit trying to convince you
And get on with the business of understanding
What ‘s behind that irrational feeling.

And when that’s clear
The answers will be obvious
And I won’t need any
Advice.

(Copy VVD Magazine)