Tuesday, October 24

Another new poem

Tonight I went to a Victor Wooten concert here in Springfield. Man it was amazing. It was better than I expected.

And, just in time for this week's poetry slam, it inspired me to write a new poem.

I should really go to sleep or something. I've got a lot of work to do tomorrow. But I'm pumped. Hopefully I'll memorize this poem and be prepared to perform it well in the slam. I hope this comes through on the computer screen.

(Notes on the poem - lines in italics will be sung/chanted. This poem includes almost all the words I know in Arabic, Hebrew, German, Swahili and Japanese. Slight exaggeration, but not by much. Please pardon - or e-mail me to correct - my horrendous spelling.)


As Salaam Alaikum.
U Alaikum Salaam.
Marhaba, marhabteen.
Here we go again.
Marhaba, marhabteen.
Hello. Hello hello.
I’ve got a poem.
About language and struggling with words.
About communication.
communal verbal fornication.
cornucopias of copious vocabulary.
How can I say this?
If I had ten thousand tongues
I would love you with every one.

Marhaba - Kiif Haalek,
translation - Jambo. Habari gani?
Translation - Hola, como estas?
Translation: bonjour. Cometalevous?
If I had 10,000 tongues,
I would touch you with every one.

Marhaba, Kiif Haalek.
Mabsuut, Ilhamdila.
Translation:
Good times, good times.
I’m losing my mind
but still trying to rhyme.
In a borrowed language,
not yet my own.
I said it before,
I’ll say it again.
I want to breathe you in,
I want to breathe you out.
I want to take you on a journey
with my tongue.
So deep, so deep.
Dive down beneath the waters
of subconsciousness.
Is this a shared experience?
Sing a song of sixpence,
a pocket full of rye.
I want to taste
that pumpkin pie.
I want a
Reason for gratitude.
Hello, thank you.
Guten tag. Danke.
Konichiwa. Aragato.
Buenos Dias. Gracias.
If I had 10,000 tongues,
I would kiss you with every one.

But I don’t speak tu lengua.
Please, help me to express myself.
Help me to sing.
Teach me to bring a smile to your face.
Pretend that I am young.
Pretend I am the one.
Believe that your tongue
is my tongue.
Cause if I had 10,000 tongues,
I would caress you with every one.

Yet until we have words,
until we have phrases,
we have the looks on our faces.
Please don’t let me be misunderstood.
I’ll make a grunt. I’ll make a sound.
I’ll bang on wood. I’ll stomp on the ground.
I want to shout.
Bueno, bueno.
Tayib, tayib,
Zaaki, zaaki,
Tamaam, tamaam.
Shalom, shalom.
If I had 10,000 tongues,
I would praise you with every one.

Nosotros no tenemos manana.
Bukra, la bukra.
Bukra fil mismis.
Tomorrow never comes.
Yom, ha yom.
Today is the day
This is what I have to say..
If I had 10,000 tongues,
I would love you with every one.

Peace.
Shalom.
La Paz.
Maasalame.
On a scale of 1-10, I give this poem a 10. Sometimes that's all that matters. We'll see Thursday night. What do you score it?

1 Comments:

Blogger bl said...

Of my three new poems written in the last couple of days, I like this one the best.

October 24, 2006 12:24 am  

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