English is my second language.

Poetry is my first.

Do you want to understand me?
Do you want to be understood?
Engage me with symbol and simile,
metaphor and ritual,
evocation and allusion,
the resonant, resounding play of syllables,
the engaging, enriching arc of imagery.

This I hear.
This I see.
This I feel.

Oh, I can speak English when necessary,
but when it matters–
when heart speaks to heart,
and soul to soul–
I revert to my native tongue,
the sacra lingua:

poetry.

Text and image © 2012 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.