Cognate y Cognado - Cam Lyons

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.