Sounding Board

SOUNDING BOARD
By John Ross Harvey

I’m not sure why, but many people enjoy my company
In conversation, whether I talk or not
I’ve always had a good ear
Complete strangers find me easy to converse with
People I’ve never met before in my life
Is it because I listen?
I wrote a poem several years ago; it goes as follows:

To speak is to be seen
To listen is to be heard
To say nothing is to be noble
To be noble is to be great
To be less than noble
Is the common man’s life
Thus speaks the common man.

It is impossible to be truly noble
To converse you need to make a response
Little though it may be.

If you truly enjoy the conversations
That person will become your friend
But most times they are just a stranger
You will never see again
So why make a bad impression?

Recently while in an autograph line
I chatted with a woman
That also gets migraines like I do
Though more severe
And since we were there an hour or so
I know all about her dog, her kids, her mom,
Her neighbourhood, her career.

While attending the Circus most recently
I had a discussion with somebody’s grandmother
Who was so disappointed at the chaos of the crowd, that
She brought up how organized the Markham Theatre was
During a fire alarm.

It’s very likely my most recent friendship
With a girl from work started off in this manner
She loves to talk, I love to listen
As she’s headed for a new country
We found common ground to converse
As I’d been there, and was reading about it
And I have internet buddies from the area.
After more conversations I discovered we grew up
Practically together in adjacent towns
Though I am 9 years her senior.

So, if you ever need someone’s ear
Mine is quite up to the task.
Even if we don’t know each other.