Joe Cottonwood Verse-Virtual 2017 November

November 2017

I’m a bit creaky in the bones but continue to work in the building trades: carpenter, plumber, electrician. Nights, I write. Working with the hands feeds the head. joecottonwood.com

English as a Second Language

Twenty adults, all Vietnamese,
sit respectfully in a classroom,
San Jose City College, eager to learn
but silent. The point is to talk (in English)
so the instructor asks, “How did you
get here?” Hesitantly, first one:
she walked a hundred kilometers
carrying two children, paid a boatman,
took many people, the boat sank,
a child drowned. Next one: attacked
by pirates, daughter stolen, never seen
again. Then an outpouring: typhus.
An ambush. Cheated. An angel
in the form of a helicopter.
Courage, heartbreak, luck.
And plenty of talk.

Next class. “What is the most beautiful
sight you’ve ever beheld?” They
traveled, reluctantly
half the planet. What splendors
have passed their eyes?
A hesitation, then the first:
“Most beautiful thing I ever see
is San Jose Airport.” Immediately
a chorus, they all agree.
First glimpse, descending
from broken clouds.
Tarmac. Landing lights.
San Jose Airport.
Beauty.

First published in Allegro December 2016

Editor's Note: If this poem(s) moves you please consider writing to the author (email address above) to tell him or her. You might say what it is about the poem that moves you. Writing to the author is the beginning of community at Verse Virtual. It is very important. -FF