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Personas Son Como
Palabras, Entangled
El mismo abuelo
Those of us, sostengo
Closely, parientes
Men, cognate and kindred
No greater a sin did
Good men accomplish than
Separate us, como
Flores regadas a
La sombra, enredade.
*Words from the poet: My relationship with language has always been one of fascination. I love English literature, but I found it was just one piece of a larger, more intricate puzzle. I started studying linguistics on my own, and then my relationship with a few close friends I met through my volunteer work put me in a position to tutor English for refugees. As I was discovering my love for this process of teaching and learning new languages, it became apparent to me that while I was learning at my own pace, with enjoyment, so many are learning because English apprehension in the U.S. can be the deciding factor in a person's survival.
People are like
Words, entangled
The same grandfather
Those of us, I hold
Closely, kindred
Men, cognate and kindred
No greater a sin did
Good men accomplish than
Separate us, like
Flowers watered in
The shade, entangle
*Words from the poet: Everywhere in the world, including the U.S., people have a native language that often has to take a backseat for the sake of making it here, whether that is financial success or just staying alive and free from poverty. Teaching ESL is my life's purpose, but it must be conducted in a way that preserves the cultures and languages of native people across the world. This means teachers must actively learn the language of their students, teach adaptation and not assimilation, and forever abandon the phrase "broken English". English is not superior; it is a lingua franca and can be used to enrich, not to colonize.
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