As we grow older, our experiences make us wiser and more knowledgeable about the world. Yet, it can also make us wary, guarded and disillusioned with what life has to offer. An average adult carries an unquantifiable amount of emotional baggage with them, accrued from various pressures, worries, anxiety, fear and guilt which slow build up on a daily basis. So, in order to protect ourselves, we erect barriers and defence mechanisms to prevent others from getting too close. We may use humour to deflect attention and laughter to conceal our pain, but the end result is that we often avoid developing a genuine connection with people that is only fostered through open and honest communication. Notably, even babies can communicate quite effectively with their peers without a fully formed vocabulary. So why is it so complicated for us? Do we lose that ability over time or are we simply making it more complicated for ourselves than it really should be.

Communication

You barely tell me anything,
so how am I to know,
you always seem like you’re afraid,
to let emotions show.

I know that you’ve been taught to be,
so stoical and strong,
such that you cannot just admit,
when something’s going wrong.

You ought to know relationships,
are mainly about trust,
communication is the key,
to make it more robust.

So while it’s hard, why don’t you try,
to learn to lean on me,
you may find it unburdens you,
at least to some degree.

Expressing what you think and feel,
is really not so bad,
it’s part of sharing who we are,
it comforts us when sad.

For if we bottle all inside,
then at some point we’ll burst,
and all the pain that we will feel,
will be a whole lot worse.

So open up and let me in,
and share with me your life,
tell me of your greatest triumph,
and of your greatest strife.

Please let me empathize with you,
and help me understand,
and guide me to your point of view,
and show me where you stand.

And let me fill the empty void,
the loneliness within,
allow it just to wash away,
like it had never been.

For we must bare our hearts and souls,
the things we guard the most,
as that’s the price that must be paid,
in order to be close.