Language of Trying
Frangipani isn’t spelled
how I thought it was spelled,
and I can’t ever remember whether
there are two m’s or two t’s or two e’s
in committee (it can’t possibly be all three),
and why the missing o in pronunciation?
And while we’re on the topic of pronounciation—
soldiers demonstrate discipline in the military,
but the disciples of the militia are demonstrably
ill-sounding.
Good Lord, I’m running my tongue
over the most banal teeth of life
and still counting them wrong.
And while we’re on the topic of counting—
the longest English word has nineteen syllables,
but my name, standing as straight and tall
as possible, scrapes eight.
What’s it called when you know
you’re going to lose but
you go at it anyway?
There should be a word for that,
one with kind letters
and a lucid sound.