say what

you wish you had an
interpreter to accompany
you wherever you go,
translating
the voices around you
into your version
of English.
you wish there were
subtitles
in yellow, like at the bottom
of a foreign movie,
perhaps a bubble or
balloon floating above
one's head
telling exactly what
is being said.
hardly a day goes by without
misunderstanding
someone, or you being
misunderstood.
it makes life harder
than it should be,
you think, as you
nod at the waiter,
saying yes,
to whatever it is that
he just said.