Friday, May 04, 2007

Words are Windows (or They're Walls)

by Ruth Bebermeyer

This poem appears in Marshall Rosenberg's book "Nonviolent Communications."
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.

When I first read it the other night, I immediately heard it in my head as a song - I can't wait to get my guitar out this evening and put it together.

7 Comments:

At 6/04/2008 12:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would love to hear the song you made or if you did.

my blog is at www.gibsoncoaching.com

 
At 9/30/2008 2:53 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm from Brazil and I'd like to show your song to my friends?
May I? My e-mail: thaisa@portalconectar.com.br
Thanks.

 
At 3/19/2010 9:52 AM, Blogger mugdha said...

such true feeling..
read it first in a NVC book..and just realized as i saw ur post..its posted on the same day as of my birthday..seems it was meant for me to find it here !!
:)

 
At 6/27/2010 8:03 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

When I see this song posted here, I feel really curious to hear how you've put it to tune. Would you be willing to post it on your blog so that I can commit it to memory (and to habit) more easily? Metta.

 
At 7/02/2010 11:45 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just bought the book NVC by Marshall Rosenberg and read this poem.It hit such a chord for me and I feel so positive that reading the book will bring my daughter and I to a new beginning and to an everlasting loving bond

 
At 9/10/2011 7:33 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Very powerful words indeed. I am taking a nonviolent communication workshop right now and I'm learning a LOT!

 
At 4/21/2013 4:02 PM, Blogger Laura said...

Hi guys! I heard this song in one of a nonviolent comunication videos on youtube! you can listen to it here, check it out on the last few minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=KZJuQb243Ww&NR=1

It is soooooo beautiful! big hug! :)

 

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