Words are Windows or They’re Walls

I very much like this poem which I come across during my NVC studies and wanted to share with you

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 ther’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.

-- Ruth Bebermeyer