I’d like to work with you.
To appreciate your versions.
And not to have to defend myself
Against them.
Please let your version of treating me
Incorporate ideas of helping me,
Ideas of listening to me,
And of hearing me.
Ideas of rights, and respect.
Please let your version of helping me
Understand that on some level
Learned detachment
Is problematic.
And that learned detachment
Is sometimes invisible.
A literally lethal lacuna in education.
Please don’t let my wishes fall into that gap,
Steered and smothered by concepts of ‘valid knowledge’
And ‘I always know better than you’
Because the system convinced you.
****
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