Listening Post

It’s better to listen than always talk.

I found that listening is good
because it makes some people’s day.
Instead of thinking ‘bout myself,
I try to hear what people say.

It’s oft demanding to give heed
when self expects the lighted stage.
If ego then demands the light,
your listeners can harbor rage.

For we are not the thespians
who people pay to entertain.
Between two folks, a monolog
is nothing but a self-campaign.

I have felt rage within myself
when overrun by active tongue.
I tried to edgewise in a word,
yet often talking is high-strung.

And I regret the times when I
was dominating talk for sure.
No doubt a lion’s share of speech
comes off as greed and idle slur.

I heard voices raised in anger
when I went on a chatter spree.
Their frustration boiled over
as I talked on incessantly.


24 Lines
Writer’s Cramp
4-21-20