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Imagine a person sitting on the top of a fence or a fence post, speaking to arguing people on opposite sides of that fence. It could be two estranged family members, feuding neighbors, or two people from different political, religious, national or ethnic groups.

The poem’s indentations indicate whether the fence post sitter is addressing those on his/her left, just thinking out loud in the middle, or those on his/her right. We need more people who will try to understand, “why you are where you are, on the other side of the fence.” In so doing, the fence becomes less important and is sometimes taken down altogether, as we grow in empathy and compassion.

A common saying people use is, “You need to get off the fence.” By this they mean, “Decide what you want, or what you believe, and pick a side. Don’t be wishy-washy!” In other words, don’t be indecisive or half-hearted. Sometimes this is truly needful. As a matter of fact, I wrote another poem about that, titled simply, The Fence (on the Faith and Gratitude page).

Yet, at other times, “Get off the fence!” is actually fear or control-based pressure, someone wanting to keep or add a person to his or her pet ideology, theology, or group. I can be guilty of having that feeling when I encounter a person who is not as committed to my personal values as I would like.

In a world where people increasingly love to build walls and fences, point fingers and tell people to “pick a side,” we need more “fence sitters.” Perhaps I should call them, “fence post listeners.”