code switch

i’m not your office mate, or your first freaked out blind date

i’m not your big-headed-blind-pig-faced boss posting kids trying to floss

shelter me from ‘speak’ tainting and taking up oxygen

you run these phrases trying to disguise

you’re under the gun of countless allies

an illusion

it makes you stand straight when gabby and her friends are waiting at the gate

it’s not locked

they hold no key

you decide whether to stay or flee with crossed eyes and a mother’s plea

stay where you are

the town, the block, the house

we’ll paint the walls

pale blue and yellow

you’ll blend in

until you’re better

i kissed the metal-clasp lock holding your tongue tied to traditional tones that can’t explain the passion that blasts through my bones

a language alone

in a world for us

no need to hush

misinterpretations are flushed

misrepresentations crushed

utterances living alone and echoing off walls we dreamt of changing

before a rosetta stone was carved

and they all knew our thoughts

code switch

make this ours