For next week, then,
I want you to fall in love
with someone who doesn’t
speak the same language as you.
I want you to explore
all conjugations of the verbs
to feel to stumble to fumble.
I want you to analyse
the syntax of their collarbone
and the irregular construction
of the skin on their belly.
How their intonation rises
with each questioning look
in the way that their voice
does not. How the structure
of their arms has possessive
qualities, and it calls to you
in the singular and the plural.
How there is no need for a third
person. How the present
might or might not seem perfect
and the rules behind it follow
no rhyme nor reason anyway.
How tongues are the least
important part of the conversation
when the punctuation is made
by the sounds of your study.

What you will learn is
for you and you alone but
share the lesson wide.

based on a conversation almost had during teaching