This poem, “When Someone Deeply Listens To You,” by John Fox is a wonderful reminder about the importance of listening. When we deeply listen, we help others heal. And when we can deeply listen to our different “selves,” whether through writing, friends or therapists, we help heal ourselves as well!
When Someone Deeply Listens To You
When someone deeply listens to you
it is like holding out a dented cup
you’ve had since childhood
and watching it fill up with
cold, fresh water.
When it balances on top of the brim,
you are understood.
When it overflows and touches your skin,
you are loved.
When someone deeply listens to you
the room where you stay
starts a new life
and the place where you wrote
your first poem
begins to glow in your mind’s eye.
It is as if gold has been discovered!
When someone deeply listens to you
your barefeet are on the earth
and a beloved land that seemed distant
is now at home within you.
— John Fox
© John Fox
http://www.poeticmedicine.com/
Used by permission of the author.
Hi Abby!
I love this poem! I volunteer for a local hospice organization and this poem struck me so profoundly as a feeling I feel when I am sitting vigil at a patient’s bedside. I am alone with them but quite near and I know they can feel me. It is as if they are “deeply listening to me” but cannot respond. It is a joyful peace that we share together, sojourners…one leaving one still making her way.
Blessings!
Cathryn Hasek
Hi Cathryn,
Thank you for sharing your experience. It is profound and beautiful.
Many thanks for your post!
Abby