poem: mother tongue

a woman and her kids
sat beside on at the station
and she spoke to them in french.

i speak nothing but english.
school beat out any ambition
to learn otherwise.
but i recognised the french
as soon as she spoke.
french: the words tumbling out
like they are being written
in musical notes
that puff out
as vibrations in the air.

i love listening to other languages

although you would agree
it would not have been as nice
if i knew what she was saying.