learning a language
tongue clicks purrs jaws grinding stretching holding up one leg a sharp call
and a low warble
moment by moment
we learn how to speak
parrot
or lover
or child
each time banking on
the patience and goodwill
of our innocent instructor
we learn a new way
to say what we need
symptomatic vocabulary
blue sky sprites
words that would have given me hope
four years ago
my body’s white blood cells
pulling out all the stops
working to bring me right
but without those words
my vision was clouded
another bit of normal
perhaps forever gone
grey drifts of dots
descending slowly
every time I blinked
blue sky sprites
if only someone had given me
these three words to hold on to
a whole new way of seeing
this change that typhus wrought
I would have worried a little less
believed in magic a little more
beginner
en español
I learn
to loose my tongue
to make mistakes
in a loud enough voice
to say what I need
I am no longer above
committing grave grammatical errors
changing tenses genders numbers
in the most haphazard unsophisticated way
I am being brave and humble enough
to open my mouth
and let imperfections stream out
while someone nods kindly
understanding just what is needed
from the way I move my hands
3 Valentines
i
here where the choice of words
feels so weighted
tú vs. usted
ser vs. estar
every sentence revealing
one’s innermost thoughts
about where things stand
I say today and tomorrow and tomorrow
tú y yo
somos
enamorados
ii
you don’t need to
say you’re sorry
only accept
the warm fuzzy love
and bright grapefruit-pink joy
I hold out in both hands
for you
iii
I’ve never been disappointed
by what’s inside
your oh-so-deep
kind well of
patient and giving heart
culture, one word at a time / cultura, una palabra a la vez
here we learn
of a blue
that is not blue
calling the sky-blue
celeste azul
would be like
mistaking pink
for red
this celestial blue
stands apart
not of this world
but here also there is no space
between heaven and sky
son iguales
ciel
no boundary between the seen and unseen
between life as we know it
and faith in more
*
aquí aprendemos
de un azul
eso no es azul
llamando al cielo azul
celeste azul
seria como
rosa equivocado
para rojo
este azul celestial
se destaca
no de este mundo
pero aquí tampoco hay espacio
entre el cielo y el cielo
son iguales
ciel
sin límite entre lo visible y lo invisible
entre la vida tal como la conocemos
y fe en más
Hector’s Visit
he’s overcome
each time another animal chooses him
overjoyed they’d share a moment
today when the little dolphin
broke away from her pod
and frolicked all around the boat
saying hello a dozen ways
he was amazed
before that, when massive Toy Soldier
the show jumper nuzzled his shirt
he glowed at being touched
the little owl, blue penguin, purring cheetah
each animal he’s really met
says clearly to him
as if in his mother tongue
you are not alone
reconnects his hairless ape life
to the world of fur feather bone wild
his pressed palm feels a real heart beat
and remembers we’re all one
and someday
he’ll feel that in the tree and fern
skipping river and stinging wind
silent stars and now-cold stone
even the space between cells
the negative cloud where all’s uncertain
even there in the nothingness he’ll sense
we’re all one
he’s tethered to every last bit
including his four chickens
that haven’t yet hatched
language loom
alone together so long
we’ve nearly forgotten
how others sound
how to weave an exchange
with another willing soul
until the tones hold more than
simple senseless waves
slowly we remember
to listen and ask until
there’s a tough cupped palm heart
sturdy enough to hold tears
threaded together
one under-over-under dip
of our verbal dance at a time
body language
not knowing their words
I read people better
their actions and attitudes
all I can gauge
in a moment
I have taken their pulse
intelligible words
pouring out of a mouth
distract from the telling
twitch of the lips
clarity of gaze
steadiness of hand
that simmer to make
savoriness of character
in English we dismissively say
intuition
gut feeling
impression
as if it’s misleading
at best a guess
not the sum total
of generations of watching
what people do
when not telling the truth
