I was want
ing the most
bare language
threaded bare
ly there a bar
on in english
everywhere I
went I langu
ished in a war
rent of a lang
uage I did or
did not want
once in ame
rica there w
as a language
we were guilt
y I spoke it y
ou were there
Copyright © 2026 by Jos Charles. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on June 25, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets.
