Komaba Times Issue 9

never did I think that
i would land up in a place
where my tongue isn’t the same
as yours.
where even your face tells a different story than mine.
i hear
but i can’t listen
i try, but i don’t understand
every time
breathless.
helpless.
i was just trying to buy bread
i try, you still don’t understand
you want to
i want to.
i watch us struggling,
understanding has some borders,
in a world where
expressions are limited by a line of control
the limits that
we want to break apart
in the world where I can only smile and laugh
when you dobut
still not understand why
we are doing what we are doing
further separation
alienation
i’m sure it’s hard for you too.
but now we are trying
to accommodate each other
into our little worlds.
bit by bit, piece by piece
i string some of your words into mine
and understand you better
with every passing day
as you become we
and i become us.
i think we’ll be okay
aren’t we learning every day?
in fact today
i bought bread on my own
for us.”
by Dhriti Mehta
日
本
語
な
し
N
O
N
I
H
O
N
G
O
*Nihongo 日 本 語 is the Japanese
word for 'the Japanese language.'