I seek
a true voice
its inflection hidden by
so many other spaces,
places
shapes of syllables shifting to
make me
chameleon-chant
part of the soundscape
I gather traces
of you
so many yous
and yous guys
and liquid drawling
y’alls.
Your piece of
my patois
puzzles
me, the way
it clings when you
are here, the way
it lingers after your
visit, the way
it dissolves when I
hear that you are gone.
Anita DeRouen 