Learning a language (poema, en inglés)

Learning a language is a thankless task,

like the moment when you call the register
in an empty room,

when you realize that all your household
is only junk,

and your diet is based on mould and worms,


and you are mad, looking for a Monet
in a car boot sale,

or trying to pay with your credit card
where they only take cash.

Like a cinema-goer watching a romcom
without pop-corn,

just like a stuntman
starring in a Venezuelan soap opera.



But learning a language is also a moment,
a certain moment,
when your bulging eyes are not ugly anymore,

when the busker becomes a composer,

and your mother-in-law is now a charming granny.

When you are able to find Beluga caviar
in a priceline supermarket.

And then,
every single word could be

an exciting cliffhanger.

Ignacio Sánchez