Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Found in Translation--By Carl "Papa" Palmer--United States

Found in Translation           

She gasps, waves her hand as something
is announced on the radio, motions me
to listen as she turns up the volume.

Being in her country, not at all fluent in
her tongue, no trace of comprehension
as I stare between her and the radio dial.

Turning the sound back down, she repeats
distinctly, slowly the same words I heard,
yet still fail to understand their meaning.

She tunes to an English-speaking station,
I hear the report. Paris is under attack. Our
tears speak a language we both understand

Carl "Papa" Palmer, retired Army, retired FAA, now just plain retired, lives in University Place, Washington. He has seven chapbooks and a contest winning poem riding buses somewhere in Seattle. Carl has been nominated for the Micro Award and Pushcart Prize.

MOTTO: Long Weekends Forever
www.authorsden.com/carlpalmer

9 comments:

  1. yes, grief/shock is a universal language!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your astute comment, Jack. I enjoy your BLOG.

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  2. Proves we do not need a lot of wasted time to understand each other. A.G. PLAYER

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  3. Replies
    1. So glad you enjoyed this, Jason.
      As you know, revised from my 9/11 poem
      published in "THE HARSH AND THE HEART" anthology,
      part of the SILVER BOOMERS collection in your bookshelf.

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  4. "Found in Translation" is a very moving poem by my friend Carl "Papa" Palmer about the recent tragic terrorist attack in Paris. It moves us deeply with its tenderness and directness.

    Raymond Keen - author of "Love Poems for Cannibals"

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  5. Coming from an outstanding poet as RAYMOND KEEN, I am honored.

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  6. Thank you for writing and sharing your poem. We continue to feel the tragedy in Paris--we all share in that pain and suffering.

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