Grammy Writes

Understanding is Not Enough

I can see the shape
of your reasoning,

how each conclusion
rests neatly
on the one before it.

I understand.

Understanding
is not the problem.

Agreement is.

Agreement asks
more of me.

It asks for surrender,
or at least
the softening
of something
I’ve believed in
for a very long time.

I can’t agree to
re-direct my opinion
simply because I understand you.

This is where
compromise comes in,
not as a give and take, but as a promise—

A promise
that if we both bend,
nothing will break.

That if we meet
in the middle,
the results will be fair.

But some ideas
are not meant
to be halved.

Some principles
lose their shape
when we cut
too many times.

Compromise can be
either a bridge,
or a quiet erosion
that just might bury us all.

So maybe compromise
is not the answer either.
Maybe it’s tolerance—

Sufficient tolerance
to stand together
without pretending we are the same.

Maybe starting there
is enough.

For RDP – Perspective

9 comments

  3. That’s a wonderful poem, dear Linda. Good compromise strengthens bonds; bad compromise erodes them. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Wishing you a peaceful, joyful, and successful Happy New Year 2026. Aiva xx

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