Enemy
By
Berry Michel
I am not your enemy…or at least I thought.
Did I miscalculate this relationship?
Us versus them. Me versus you.
What happened to talk, communication, compromise?
Seems like an era bygone. So far away…
The hate you give, the love you take.
These words give therapy.
Comfort in a storm, that never seems to pass.
Why all this turmoil for beliefs for beliefs sake.
There’s so much emotion and so little listening.
I fear what I do not know. You do too.
That’s the cycle we are caught in.
Rinse, wash, repeat. I get the same result.
These words give comfort. Forget me not.
The rhythm moves through me with so little time.
But I could never find the right words.
The right combination. To let my guard down.
Victory just might be the worst.
To win at all cost sacrifices so much.
There is hope in dialogue. Confusion compounds.
Understanding breeds wisdom. Lost what is found.
Confrontation and disinformation.
Do we even really know the problem?
Arguments for arguments sake. I lose a piece of myself.
Every time I speak without thinking.
I speak without listening.
Empathy is a skill that cannot be taught.
You have to live that. Know that. Feel that.
Feel the air, read the room. Emotions get us lost.
I finally understand you. I thought I never could.
There is hope in conversation and the ability to give.
To know yourself means I do not know you.
You spoke to me the first time and I finally listened.
The Reinvention of Cake 