Broken English
Hola merci elbette como estas the bag on my shoulder is still aquí
Marching to the beat of thirty thousand shoeless feet
My back is scorched the wind blowing as seasonal treatSucking lemons I tramp that beach to seek out local meat
Hungry as a beggar I wander aimlessly down a narrow street
Approaching a nearby produce vendor I point to the seat I wish
He nods in affirmation and smiles at my burgeoning visible anguish
While I try to decipher the scribbled menu board for a tasty local dish
Selecting several samples of a regional variety he thinks quite outlandish
Ciao mon amour glásnost' I’m uttering palabras in a helpless plea
I search for some useable currency in pouches and pockets
He shakes his head in consternation as the first notes he rejects
A mumbling typecast tourist I try speaking various unknown dialects
Looking dazed and confused dropping coins on a tray truly I’m perplexed
Un donero vielen dank no entiendo arkadaş what this could mean
Then laugh at myself too loudly because my voice echoes his projects
As his moustache wiggles while my tea swirls timidly in the glassWhen he says unmistakably, “Friend, I can see your trouble
In this grand shopping arcade we call the outdoor market
But, we’re all modern here now everyone has a handle
On the ways of the world and its transition status
It really will be no big conversational scandal
If you make it easier for yourself today
When in Rome do as we Romans do
Your task you will accomplish
If you just go with the flow
Accept you don’t know
And say it twice in
Broken English.”
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