She had a well-oiled mind.
A kind of thinking that kept a rhythm,
even in chaos.
That kept tapping the well of knowledge until it found what it sought.
That kept time with life,
while feeding the spiritual.
With one foot in the proverbial language of the world,
and one foot in the meadow.
Quick but careful.
She took her time,
in a world where anything tedious was shunned.

-Rhia Clay

A chaos of multiple languages
overloads my system,
and the blackout hits hard.

An hour is still an hour,
or is it transforming into something else?
In French, they say l’heure, so sensual
Italian ore speak in tasty sounds.

But what if I want to choose
Spanish tres horas?
I miss the Polish godzina so much
moving my mother tongue's rhythm.

I need more space in my brain
My head is so heavy,
My heart enjoys moments like
a child on a playground

Making my language smoothie
I feel chromatic delirium.
Spinning through a galaxy into a black hole.
I should have listened to my mother
telling me, Agnes, do one thing!

standing somewhere stunning,
but instead of awe or excitement  
that deep, hollow loneliness festers.

couples pose under the Sistine Chapel —  
bet they're hoping for happily ever after.  
I'm wondering who'll cheat first.

and maybe, yeah, deep down  
I wish I was part of the —

Carnival —
rollercoasters screaming,  
cotton candy sharing,  
walking past the merry-go-round.  
I'm the wheel going-round-and-round.  
There's only one way off, another round.

oh yeah, deep, deep down  
I wish I was part of the —

Chaos
a small, stubborn spark inside  
reaches —  
and it stings. it stings so bad.

What's the point?
I can feel it standing on my chest
What’s the point of somewhere stunning?
If you're standing all alone

oh, if you're looking for me,  
I'm crying in the church  
on some random Wednesday  
bending God's deaf ears.

I've never been very good  
at convincing people  
I matter,  
that a connection with me  
is worth their time.

oh, I'm a stranger standing somewhere stunning.  
oh, I'm a stranger.  
oh, I'm a stranger standing somewhere stunning.  
oh, I'm a stranger —

standing somewhere stunning,