you cannot speak
with perfect fluency
the language
that i need you to know.

the meanings
that hide like
costumed schoolgirls
behind curtains

the nuances
of masked words
that shadow the pain
behind your absence.

the many ways
we say i love you
that with your foreign ears
you seem unable to hear.

you cannot listen
with perfect fluency
to silence between the words
of the language
that i need you to know.