What great pleasure it is
to not have to figure out
if the tuna sandwich is a boy or girl
before it becomes a part of me.

I don't have to wonder
if the tasty adjectives I'm going to use
to glorify it will need to multiply
or even worse, change sexuality,
if I decide to have more than one

This afternoon, I'm trying to find
the appropriate tense to describe
how the wind whistled
over the empty plastic cup last night,
startling the old dog
and setting the cat's ears twitching
But then I remember, I don't even know
the word for "whistle" in French

But I wish someone were here
to bring good tidings to my appetite
and perhaps bid my footsteps well
when I get up to take the 10 minute walk
back to the house
where the smell of freshly baked croissants
have soaked into the walls

At least I know they're filled with yellow cheese
and this time I remember
one of the first words I learned
in this intricate language I'm wrestling
is fromage.

Vous disiez toujours mes mots sonnés le mieux en français
(You always said my words sounded best in French)

Comme ils fondaient de ma langue dans des tons de caramel
(Like they were melting off my tongue in caramel tones)

Vous me prieriez de chuchoter des choses comme
(You would beg me to whisper things like)

Je vous aime ou
(I love you or)

Vous êtes les seuls
(You are the only one )

Je pense que vous en avez vraiment seulement aimé l'ironie
(I think you really only liked the irony of it )

Parce que je n'étais jamais le seul pour vous
(Because I was never the only one for you)