Words

María del Carmen Redondo Bermúdez

I want to sink in words,
quiero hundirme en palabras,
in unfinished mental images
que reptan por mis labios.
I want to sink in words I’ve never heard
pero que quieren contarme una historia.

I want to sink in words.
I want to incarnate your mother tongue
and for you to embrace mine.
I want to be rescued, letter by letter,
to form paper trains
with my drowned love letters.
I want to rescue you
through the melodic profanity
that resounds with the harmony
of colloquial language.

I want to sink in words.
Let my throat play with sounds:
the ‘thhh’, the ‘ouu’, the ‘rrr’.
Let my eardrums vibrate on a different scale,
let my tongue twist and (click) click,
my lungs blow the wind whistling through my teeth.
Let my lips kiss letters turning into pink heath.
I want to be wire headed for exquisite sounds,
again, and again, and again, and again
shaping my mind, guiding my reason.

And when words are not enough,
I want to drench in a gazing dialogue.
Die in the autumn of heavy eyelids,
wake up to hear the wind blow
and take away superfluous meanings.
Eyes to eyes, we get it.

I want to try again.
Countless fearless attempts
stumble and babble,
rumble and mumble
real and made-up words.
I want to try again,
Let the messy yew tree
grow out of my lips
defying its forced topiary.

I want to sink in words,
I want to try again,
and again.
until I can cast
the moon’s spell
in your and my
tongue.

The Science

This poem reflects on the stages of learning a new language and practising it with a native speaker. First, it goes through the mental process of language exchange and of having the support of a native speaker, as it has been proven as a useful technique to advance a language. Next, the poem explores sounds/accents and how language shapes the way we see the world. Thirdly, as learning a new language can be frustrating, the poem explores non-verbal communication through mutual-gazing. Lastly, the poem pushes improving the foreign language skills by trying ‘repetition’, even when imperfect, as repetition is key to success.

The Poet

Originally from Mexico, Dr María del Carmen Redondo Bermúdez (she/her) is a science communicator passionate about nature and culture. She holds a PhD in nature-based solutions from the University of Sheffield. Her work spans climate action, nature conservation and sustainable development. She is interested in bringing people closer to nature so they can experience the benefits of this connection.

Next poem: Zero sum by DG Herring