Is this what frustration is?

If you want to read the poem with sound, click on play and the audio will loop.

The only thing worse than a bad response
Is no response
Apathy is a tragedy, and boredom is a crime

For me, boredom came first.
I’m not sure if boredom comes from a lack of challenge
Or from a lack of exchange
It might be both

It feels unfair or unbalanced that I consume so much emptiness
And when I give back something that feels full
There is no response, just nothing
Silence

It makes me think about the question
Where does the exchange go?
Because I showed you something and you gave no response
Not even a bad one

It would have been so much easier if you had said
I don’t like this, or I don’t understand this
But instead, I receive nothing
It pushes me further away, not only from others but also from myself.

Is this what frustration is?
It’s a feeling of powerlessness.
Because whatever I do
There is no satisfaction.

But maybe I’m too pessimistic and too hard
I can be more kind
I can be more patient
I need to learn

With trust and time, new experiences will grow
For that, I need confidence
I need to be determined
Strong and honest

In the end, the response will come
Also, what do I know about responses?
From my perspective, the exchange might be empty
But energy doesn’t get lost.

Something has happened,
That might be enough