Forgetting Spanish
A. Gautam
I’ve held the words on the tip of my tongue
and let them fall off, vanish into thin air.
I’d thought I’d pick them back up one day,
but now the words seem to be nowhere.
5 My grandmother said I once spoke
just the way she does, but in my baby voice.
Years have passed, I have lost my words
I can deny it, but I know I had a choice.
Once, I wanted to be cool like my friends
10 and gave up on my father’s words.
Today, I want to pick them up again.
It feels like reaching for flying birds.
Like magic, my mother always understood
what was eating me inside,
15 like an x-ray, she saw my aches
and I could no longer hide.
She said, “It’s never too late to learn again
what you already once knew.
Search within you, and seek help,
20 what you need most is You.”
Question
Why is stanza 2 important to the poem?
Responses
A It explains only the grandmother taught the speaker Spanish.
B It describes the reason the speaker wants to learn Spanish.
C It shows the speaker once spoke the forgotten language.
D It highlights why the speaker gave up on the language
1 answer
1 answer