Coda

Coda
by Le Hinton
All humans speak multiple languages
but never anyone else’s.
A boss’s no knife/no back policy
becomes garbled in the red liquid aftermath
of a pen to the jugular.
Daddy’s little girl says nothing
for 8 weeks and no one understands
her subtlety.
A new love smiles in Portuguese.
“I love you,” he says.
“Only if,” she responds.
Shh. Listen to your neighbor’s dog
listening to their neighbors’ ecstasy
without an accent.
Translate that if you can.