Ours is a partial language part pantomime,
part grimy guesswork: adulterated speculation
as to meaning & motivation.

Translated, heart suggests a familiar, universal
device but internal chemistries vary-
though components be the same & not uncommon.

The world owes us nothing. It promises less.
Call it: freedom. Free will. Or Wednesday.

About this poem
"Falling in love with a Dane whose English is (almost) perfect but whose heart and temperament are decidedly Danish required me to reevaluate (and recalibrate) what I'd believed to be my exceptional communication skills. This poem articulates a portion of that (at times grueling) process."
-Rangi McNeil

About Rangi McNeil
Rangi McNeil is the author of "The Missing" (Sheep Meadow Press, 2003) and the chapbook "Occasional Poems" (The Song Cave, 2015). He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

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The Academy of American Poets is a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, whose aim is to make poetry available to a wider audience. Email The Academy at poem-a-day[at]poets.org.


(c) 2016 Rangi McNeil. Originally published by the Academy of American Poets, www.poets.org. Distributed by King Features Syndicate