LEARNING SPEECHES

Say ‘ah’! And I would repeat
Say ‘mama’
And I would sing along
Say ‘I love you’
And I would be quiet

Say ‘this world’
And I would say much
Say ‘suffering’ and I would cry aloud
I would tell the world
That I’m only learning languages
Not ‘more wages’

I have died and lived
I may still die and live
I want more of those beliefs
Those clichés of loving to living
Those display on your mind pages
I would eat them and make them know
That I’m only learning speeches not preaching

This land is empty,
Our drums are clean,
I am hungry
May you teach me?
Speeches,
Just to lie and I say I know,
We are all liars?