no I do not speak my mother’s language

other tongue nether tongue long gone

birthright tongue mutter tongue untuned

unstrung two sang in my child’s ear one

sense the other a koan of tones & under

longing unbelonging I do knot my unkn

own language harder won with age sing

wrong burden tongue o mend my dead

end tongue I do not own my mother’s

tongue I wring alone my father language

loaned tongue a loned song gage my ear’s

gauge hamstrung my further tongue falter

tongue I hone a never gone a not undone