Re: Think Language Lyrics
I. Text Message to my Girlfriend
K
II. Conversation with my Grandma
Don’t talk about the death
of language. I—you—we
will die, but
language does not die.
No one can crush
that first palm riding the air
in a five fingered
salute
greeting
farewell
because even curled into a fist
that palm feels
with the thread
of human tongue.
Latin, the gasping language, is not
dead, but breathing
with imperceptible
vitality. Salve, it says, not
Vale, as the valedictorian speaks
on. Hardly antiqua as antiquity
lingers. Rather ingrained,
the roots of a tree, as its
branches palm sky,
reaching towards a
never-ending end.
K
II. Conversation with my Grandma
Don’t talk about the death
of language. I—you—we
will die, but
language does not die.
No one can crush
that first palm riding the air
in a five fingered
salute
greeting
farewell
because even curled into a fist
that palm feels
with the thread
of human tongue.
Latin, the gasping language, is not
dead, but breathing
with imperceptible
vitality. Salve, it says, not
Vale, as the valedictorian speaks
on. Hardly antiqua as antiquity
lingers. Rather ingrained,
the roots of a tree, as its
branches palm sky,
reaching towards a
never-ending end.
Constant change cometh, constant
change comes. Language stays
her, an archaic expression of here,
passing, at times, through awkward
periods. Like the stretched amalgamations
lapsing from youth to adulthood.
Hair sprouting,
lips twitching,
eyes blushing.
So you see, Grandma?
That text message I sent to my girlfriend?
That was a
rustled leaf, an
extended limb, a
baby’s,
girl’s,
woman’s,
mother’s,
grandmother’s
song.
Not the death of language,
which cannot die.
Don’t you feel it?
The feigned disinterest,
concealed excitement,
unspoken words?
Language, breathing-thinking-asking,
living, on its own,
in that hard backed,
four pronged letter K.
change comes. Language stays
her, an archaic expression of here,
passing, at times, through awkward
periods. Like the stretched amalgamations
lapsing from youth to adulthood.
Hair sprouting,
lips twitching,
eyes blushing.
So you see, Grandma?
That text message I sent to my girlfriend?
That was a
rustled leaf, an
extended limb, a
baby’s,
girl’s,
woman’s,
mother’s,
grandmother’s
song.
Not the death of language,
which cannot die.
Don’t you feel it?
The feigned disinterest,
concealed excitement,
unspoken words?
Language, breathing-thinking-asking,
living, on its own,
in that hard backed,
four pronged letter K.
Don’t you understand? Standing
underneath a
history, a story
where words fold
into words?
Briefly, perhaps
momentarily,
that swift K
surfaces, the result of a
gradual, momentous shift in tide,
riding from text message
to text mess-
age, from soul
to soul, from wave
to wave.
Though small,
though seemingly meaningless,
that alphabetized, un-
formalized grain is part
of the story
of the shifting sands
of language,
and composes
an entire
poem.
underneath a
history, a story
where words fold
into words?
Briefly, perhaps
momentarily,
that swift K
surfaces, the result of a
gradual, momentous shift in tide,
riding from text message
to text mess-
age, from soul
to soul, from wave
to wave.
Though small,
though seemingly meaningless,
that alphabetized, un-
formalized grain is part
of the story
of the shifting sands
of language,
and composes
an entire
poem.
K?
About
Genius Annotation
Louis Lafair is a senior at St. Stephen’s High School in Austin, Texas. He’s been “playing with words” since second grade. Louis translates his love of writing, reading, speaking, connecting, and challenging preconceived notions into all aspects of his life. As co-licensee and MC for TEDXYouth@Austin, Louis leads a team of more than twenty students and adults, and has worked with a wide range of speakers, including slam poet Joaquin Zihuatanejo. He serves as editor for Proteus, his school’s literary magazine. For Louis, the National Student Poets Program is a remarkable opportunity to connect, through written and spoken poetry, with a larger community.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
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