Never Fazed By a Language Barrier
A friend once told me
How he was fascinated by me-
By how I could walk up to absolutely
Anyone and be their best friend,
Switch cultures like t-shirts
Emblazoned with "I heart
Fill-in-the-blank..."
I'm not sure quite how to explain
How once you've observed society
For long enough you realize
That just about everyone you
Will ever meet acts just like
Your own teenage brother,
Like your mother, your father,
Like your little sister-
Like the best friend you've
Known for your whole life...
Everyone has heard the phrase,
"We're all God's children,"
But it seems like everyone
Is suddenly blind to their
Family resemblence
When one of them says,
"Que tal, manito?" instead of
"What's up, bro?"
Don't tell me that it's
Not possible for you
To communicate with
Someone whose birth certificate
Lists a country of origin
That's different from your own-
Don't say you can't pick up
New language when "YOLO"
Was not an expression that
Existed on the face of the Earth
Until a couple of years ago...
Besides, we both know how you
Always found a way to
Gossip in class, by shooting hand
Gestures and loaded glances
Halfway across the classroom-
Halfway across a globe never
Seemed all that different to me,
So maybe that's the reason
I was never fazed
By a language barrier.
Copyright © Cameron Hartley | Year Posted 2014
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