pinned butterflies (Photo credit: pink mochi)
Attentive
And quiet
Collecting thoughts
Like butterflies
Pinned to a secret wall
In a room
No-one sees
Almost invisible
The barely perceptible
Nodding head
Hands touching lightly
Momentarily
Gestures of support
Urging the speech
Drinking it in
Cataloguing the species
Of which he feels
Barely a part
Itemizing words
Concepts, beliefs and conceits
Secured in sequences
And patterns
For later retrieval
In considered privacy
Those that talk
Do not register
Beyond their
Unconscious belief
That all is right with this
He should listen
They deserve
To be heard
Few will remember
Secrets betrayed
In these moments
And their very human need
To fill silence
With voice
Later if they hear
Of confidence broken
Or find themselves undone
They will not even recall
Who they spoke to or when
And in their distress
May well return
To his safe harbour
To sing their song of sorrow
To The Listener
Again
(c) Helen Valentina 2013, All Rights Reserved
helenvalentina 
People think I’m a good listener. That’s because I have long hair and they can’t see the earplugs.
lmao 🙂
LOL!!! 🙂 🙂
Hysterical!!!!! 😀
Listening is much more important than talking.
Very true. 🙂 🙂
it’s like standing in a mausoleum
Not sure if that is a good or bad thing…was it too dark or cold for your taste?
the butterflies pinned to their boards, the only room in any museum that i find crowding
Oh, OK, I understand!! Thanks for clarifying, I wasn’t sure what you were refrring to and wondered if I’d gone to far in the darker direction! 🙂
noo, it’s a good poem 🙂
pressing
flowers petals
~
scraps
from magazines
~
scribbles
notes
~
listening to the world
oneself
the joy
of a sketchbook
a journal
Thank you!! 🙂 Beautiful response as always. 🙂
This is beautiful Helen! One of the strongest human needs is to feel that they have been listened to. That is why I had such a hard time terminating the relationship with my first love because for all his faults that boy was the best listener!
Thank you! It’s interesting the response to this as I meant the Listener to be a rather sinister character, but it only goes to prove one dosn’t always know what one is writing! Only the reader can ultimately tell you that! 🙂
well he was sinister too that guy lol
Oh, OK…cool. 🙂
I had a friend too that always told my secrets and then got mad when I stopped telling her things
wise decision…she obviously couldt be trusted. 🙂
No she couldn’t but she never forgave me for that, of course I still spoke to her openly but I didn’t reveal the extra sensitive stuff anymore and she eventually stopped being my friend because of my trust issues! She had humiliated many times by revealing my secrets by that time so there was just some stuff I didn’t feel safe to talk about. I never told her secrets in retaliation either, secrets mean something to me
Good on you, both for acting honorably yourself and for having the good sense to withdraw from one so dishonorable. 🙂
Thank you Helen. I always feel bad when friendship don’t work out =(
So do I, but sometimes they need to because they aren’t good friendships after all. 🙂
I agree sometimes they do more damage than good and that’s not cool
Listening is becoming a lost art. I love this poem and the image of thoughts as butterflies; delicate, fleeting, varies, beautiful – and ultimately catchable, if we choose.
Thank you so much!! 🙂 🙂
A good listener makes a good poet.
That’s probably very tue! thank you!! 🙂
Oh, to be listened, too. It is funny how you meant the Listener to be sinister, but most are commenting how they just want to be listened to. Truly a great need in us human folk. Great work!
Thank you, yes..I find the way the poem reads to others is interesting. In the end that’s more valid than my intent. 🙂
I am blessed to have a safe Listener in my life! I don’t think I let him know I appreciate him often enough! Thank you for this 🙂
You’re welcome, and thank you! Having a good listener in one’s life is a true blessing. 🙂
Yes it is 🙂
I like this one. I like the perspective and language use. The first half of the poem especially is captivating
Thank you so much, so appreciated!! 🙂