Words Are Windows [or They’re Walls]
By Ruth Bebermeyer

[Duchess Note: This poem is from a M.B.Rosenberg book on NVC (nonviolent communication). The poem brings to mind conversations I’ve had with friends, acquaintances, family and individuals from the past. This poem really speaks it all quite clearly for me.]

I feel so sentenced by your words,
I feel so judged and sent away,
Before I go I’ve got to know,
Is that what you mean to say?

Before I rise to my defense,
Before I speak in hurt or fear,
Before I build that wall of words,
Tell me, did I really hear?

Words are windows, or they’re walls,
They sentence us, or set us free.
When I speak and when I hear,
Let the love light shine through me.

There are things I need to say,
Things that mean so much to me,
If my words don’t make me clear,
Will you help me to be free?

If I seemed to put you down,
If you felt I didn’t care,
Try to listen through my words,
To the feelings that we share.