The Art Of Bad Listening

As a child I had strong feelings around ideas of defeat,
any relief that victory gave when it came was always brief.
Both sets of feelings were reinforced for going undiscussed
so naturally defeat stayed with me far longer than victory.
It took me decades to realise that so much of what I felt
came from living with people who listened very badly.
What I needed from them all was empathy,
what I got instead was others imposing solutions
for fear of themselves doing without. They made the fear
so ordinary that we did not know how deaf we were.

Now I have learned, I try to be aware and reasoned.
Whether people listen and acknowledge the same,
or listen and don't acknowledge me, covertly blank me,
I know to not care too much. Bad listeners are legion....