Natural Frequency

We each have ways of finding meaning, A pace that feels like our own. A thought may form while it is spoken Or need more time before it's known. There isn't one correct direction, One measure everyone should keep. What comes easily in a moment May take another way to reach. We measure understanding Too often by the pace we know, Forgetting there are other rhythms That have their own way to unfold. We don't have to move alike To recognize what's there. One answer may come quickly; Another takes its time. Maybe understanding Isn't moving at one speed. No one has to change their rhythm For two rhythms to be heard. A question can invite an answer. A pause can leave it room to form. One voice may move toward uncertainty; Another waits until it's sure. Difference can look like distance When seen from only one point of view. But presence has more than one language, And listening has more than one form too. There can be many ways of staying Inside the moment as it moves. What doesn't mirror our own manner Can still be present, still be true. We don't have to move alike To recognize what's there. One answer may come quickly; Another takes its time. Maybe understanding Isn't moving at one speed. No one has to change their rhythm For two rhythms to be heard. A pause can hold attention. A quick reply can still run deep. Silence may be active listening; Certainty may need to breathe. Different tempos shape expression, But difference isn't something to remove. Understanding starts by leaving Room for more than one way through. We don't have to move alike To recognize what's there. One answer may come quickly; Another takes its time. Maybe understanding Doesn't ask for one shared speed. No one has to change their rhythm For two rhythms to be heard. Different rhythms. Different ways. Still enough To understand.