the son of a cousin hears
how I am learning Greek
words like a baby one
at a time he is twelve
I am more than six
decades beyond him
shyly he suggests
a phrase in ancient
Greek meaning until
we meet again
εις το επανιδείν
to master these
words I need
to read the river
of letters deposited
from his mouth
especially the delta
with its tongue on teeth
t h like this that those
when I meet this
boy again I want
to be literate
Published in Cider Press Review, Volume 24, Issue 6.
Karren LaLonde Alenier is author of eight poetry collections—including Looking for Divine Transportation (The Bunny and the Crocodile Press, 1999), winner, 2002 Towson University Prize for Literature; and in 2021 how we hold on (Broadstone Books). Her opera Gertrude Stein Invents a Jump Early On with William Banfield premiered in New York City in 2005 with a favorable review by The New York Times. She actively promotes contemporary literature through The Word Works. Visit https://www.alenier.com/
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