Elisabeth Ololade Ajayi Bilingualism You twisted your tongue into an origami of unspoken words You said your silence was better than their mocking laughter, so you sealed your lips as the envelope of a secret letter, closing the door to specialities of other worlds. From your mouth your accent was wiped out, like the toys from the room of a growing child. You decided to hide forever r’s that made the air vibrate in a new way, s’s soft as the sand near the coast land, sounds coming from the sunny islands and languages originating from the remotest cultures. All this you threw away to talk in the same manner as people whose words sound just… plain.
Poems by the Commended Foyle Young Poets of the Year 2016
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