Listening for the Power

I have learned
To listen carefully
To the words
And the language
People use
As a key
To why their lives
Turn out
The way they do.
Countless times
I have heard
People speak
About their relationships,
Their jobs,
Or other aspects
Of their lives,
And it sounds as if
They were merely
Innocent bystanders,
Observing it all.
They talk as if
They are victims
Of circumstance,
With no control
Over the direction taken,
But it is
Their choice of words
That renders them
Powerless
To be at cause
In the course
Of their lives.