Hey, Listen!

Hey, Listen!

A friend of mine always begins her text to me that way.

There is something phenomenal about that since it always captures my attention, Always. Even if she will add I just wanted to say Hi.

I feel like the Hi is from the heart you know.

I donno about you but I wish in school they would have taught us to listen. Mbikosss handling humans is something else and don't get me started about listening to what is not being said. Abeggg. Just listening to what is being said is hardwork

As I write this, I am grateful to all those who read our works as writers to the end, that is listening to us.

Those who go to poetry gigs and choose not to catch up when a poet is on stage, that is listening to us.

Grateful for those who engage with our works and share them to friends and fam, that is listening to us and inviting others to listen to us.

Grateful for those parents who choose to set aside their prejudices about what we did and say, "Ok tell me what happened."

That is Listening to us.

Grateful for those who call me for advice but I end up being the one who does most of the talking.

That is Listening to us.

Grateful for those Lecturers in Public Universities who allow you to do a makeup CAT when you missed out on the main one even without needing alot of explanations from you.

That is listening to us.

Grateful for all those that provide spaces for us to be vulnerable, to breakdown and cry, this is also beyond listening to us. This is validating us.

Grateful for all those who come to say, thank you or you inspire me, now this is beyond listening to us. This is validating us.

All in all what I am saying is, Listening is the highest form of validation because it allows the other person to exist.

Thank you for allowing me to exist through my social media walls.