Listening Poem
A beautiful poem to inspire you to listen today!
Guidelines for using the Poem
You have our expressed permission to use the poem “Today I Will Listen.” In doing so, here are some guidelines:
• Share who you are and where you are reading from.
• Use this Hashtag #TodaylWillListen
• Mention I Love to Listen Day. For example, “This Poem was written to celebrate I Love to Listen Day”
• Share the video with the author at Marva451@gmail.com
• This poem should be used freely and should not be sold or used for profit in any way.
By sharing your videos and pictures we assume permission to share your rendition on social and other media platforms.
Here is an example of how the poem can be read.
Listening Poetry Prompts
1. Write a poem in response to the poem, “Today I Will Listen,” by Marva Shand McIntosh.
2. Write a poem in response to anyone line of the poem “Today I Will Listen,” focusing on either the thing you find most challenging or the one that feels most natural to you, whether it’s listening without prejudging, listing with warmth, or any of the other lines. (You’ll find 20 possible prompts within this one poem.)
3. Write a funny poem about a listening mishap based on a misheard word or assumption. (This can be real or imagined. Have fun with it!)
4. Think about a time when listening carefully caused you to change your mind. Write a poem about that experience. (One way to write this poem is, to begin with a statement of your initial belief and end with your current belief. As you move from the first line to the last, try to transcribe your thoughts as you processed the new information and changed your thinking.)
5. Write a poem in which each line begins with the letters of the word LISTEN. (Put the letters L I S T E N down the left-hand side of a page in bold. The first word begins with L, the second with I, etc.) For a longer poem in this style (acrostic poetry), try LISTENING or LISTENING IS LOVE. (These can be on the subject of listening, but they don’t have to be. You might even find that what you write about has an unexpected connection that’s brought out by the form.)
6. Start a poem with “I should have listened to…” or “I wish I had listened when…”
7. Write a poem inspired by the characters at the top of the page at ilovetolisten.com.
8. Write a poem of thanks to someone who listened to you (who either listened in a particular instance or who listened over time).
9. Write a poem that says something you wish you could say to someone (whether a specific person or just anyone). See if you can express it in a poem, in your own way, in your own time, without interruptions. When you’re ready, invite someone to listen.
10. Write a group poem. Find a group of people to join you in this and to agree to add one line and pass the poem, in progress, to the next person. Whether in person, on video, text, or email, have each person add one line that builds on the previous lines. The poem should circle back to you. Write the final line, being sure to take into account all that’s been said.
Listening Poetry Prompts by Linda Eve Diamond for I Love to Listen Day