Learner Contribution
Here I am by Arnaldo Perez
Here I am saying yes instead of si,
speaking with a different tone and rhythm
building sentences word by word
and thinking more of how to say than what to say
Here I am keeping a five foot distance from people
avoiding eye contact to look polite
saying sorry for everything
and trying to give back any favour to not become indebted
Here I am calling friends for a visit two weeks in advance
talking about weather and something else
having two and a half small talks with my neighbour per year
and coping with my natural instinct to hug men and kiss women
Here I am laughing without understanding the jokes
treated politely for being a customer and occasionally for being human
missing each day the sun falling into the sea
and trying to keep alive the sound of the waves in my mind
Here I am waiting for my first dream in English and being afraid of it
teaching my dog not to bark
seeing a strange culture take over my daughter’s way of thinking and feeling
and selling myself in the big auction called the labour market
Here I am living in a city who buildings, parks, streets, corners remind me of nothing
imagining that the solitary maple leaf in the Canadian flag is the solitary star in the
Cuban flag
convincing myself that things could have been worse
and writing this poem as if it were a math exercise
Here I am, or maybe not