Kevin Kim

Mrs. Garmon
3rd Hour Creative Writing
24 September 2014

Lament to Non-Bilinguals
I.S.O. David Wagoners Lament for the Non-Swimmers

They can never understand the ability of fluency,

Can try to think in that language, but they are from another country.
They speak out, the words dont come out:
The meaning becomes jumbled.
Their bumbling attempt at the language is incomprehensible.
Their brain still thinks in their native language, the book-learned head
Tries to come up with sentences naturally,
but the mouth is sealed. Each conversation
Only half of a real one, its too unnatural, its fake.
The language seems strictly for those people.
They stand silent in the group, their voices unheard,
Their ears desperate for words they know.
They speak softly, but not ambitiously.
Under the barrier, a personality
Where they are talkative and overjoyed goes into hiding
Those who speak to them only see their approving nods
Turn away, not in shame or disrepute
but too shy to interject
and avoid the clueless remarks on their faces.
They stand nearby, pretending