Who is listening?

The teacher teaches,
The student scrolls.

The parent preaches,
The child ignores.

The boss directs,
The peer corrects.

The intern suggests,
The office rejects.

The storyteller narrates,
The audience debates.

The guest tells,
The podcaster sells.

The neta declares,
The public despairs.

The friend texts,
The relative expects.

The spouse laments,
The neighbor comments.

The Guru explains,
The instructor trains.

The host presents,
The rival prevents.

The house-help complains,
Perhaps only OTT entertains.

The psychiatrist prescribes,
Before the patient describes.

Of all these, who listens?

Who has the time to pause,
To slow down, and to think,
Without rushing into the cause?

There are authors, but no readers,
A few followers, too many leaders.

Millions of courses on public speaking,
Not a single one on deep listening.

And so we pay for therapy,
Seeking refuge in unfamiliarity.

To earn by speaking,
To spend on listening.

And if this continues,
Beyond all desires,
The only luxury that remains,
Will be to have someone,
Who truly listens.

AI Disclosure: Used ChatGPT for formatting, proofreading, and generating rhyming words when feeling stuck. AI Listens :)