Recently
I shared several poems

in which the pronoun
“I” appeared.

You may have assumed
those thoughts
those beliefs
those feelings -
those experiences
were mine.

But in some
of those poems

“I”

was someone
I observed
Or a collection
of observations
of others.

I listened
to what they said.

I observed
their actions
to understand
better,

I noticed the
unspoken
feelings,
perspectives,
points of view
and the tone
of their voice
the speed of their
speech.

All this was happening
within me
without my conscious
awareness.

Empathic
communication
is hard
when and if
I was expected
to use words to
present everything
that happens in the moment.

Perhaps, you are
denying that you
share an experience
of being confused
within social
situations?

Perhaps
and I don’t deny
ever feeling
confused.

I also
write creative
non-fiction where
I tell stories
about lived events
and experiences.

All the facts
and experiences
were true
with understanding
of the fact that memory
is imperfect.

I have avoided
including or filling in
details – events
conversations
that might improve
a story -
that is fiction
based on a true story.

In my stories
I present my experiences
with others.

I present others
experiencing me
but I cannot
experience
what they are experiencing.

I can present
my experience
of them
experiencing me.

With imagination
and empathy,
I can imagine
what I believe
to be
their experience.

So,
when you used
the pronoun
“I”
as you mentioned,

you were deceiving me
if you were
not describing
your own experience.

Now I see
why you would be
confused.

You want to know

when “I”
was my experience

and when “I”
was my understanding
of another
or the combined
experience with
others.

Sometimes
to know that
you may have
to ask me.

At times
you have
inferred that I was
presenting
my own experience
because you were able
to intuitively know
when I was describing
lived experiences.

Perhaps you noticed
common themes and
emotional
reactions.

I have appreciated
your desire to understand
me and my experiences.

It shows
I have been
witnessed
held and accepted.