Being the Other, The Need for Calm, & Dearest Rachel
by Nicole Haentjens Traore
written for the 2012 Invitational ELL Summer Institute
Being the Other
I’m expressive.
I’m vocal.
I know one language.
I’m American.
I’m in Mali.
I’m closed.
I’m quiet.
I’m understanding some--
I’m able to speak none.
I’m lost.
I’m insecure.
My want for L2 proficiency
pervades my every thought.
On U.S. soil again.
English comes like a dove--
flies back into my eyes, ears, and soul.
Excitement brews.
I begin to chat--
can’t wait--
to the stranger next to me.
The Need for Calm
I was forceful,
very forceful with your hair.
You were traveling…
meeting him for the first time.
Relatives to gaze upon you—
what would they think?
What would they say?
You had to be kept—
You had to look great.
A reflection of me—
of all things motherly,
that I am.
I was forceful,
very forceful with your hair—
but you were ready
and gorgeous beyond compare.
Dearest Rachel
Dear Rachel,
If I could see your face, expression-less or smiling,
If you could tell me how you feel day in and day out,
If I could touch your button-nose and kiss it,
this all would be bliss, this all would be bliss.
If I could hear your sweet voice cooing over kittens,
If I could touch your dry, long fingers and hold them in mine,
If I could feel your curly, dangling hair brush up against me,
this all would be bliss, this all would be bliss.
Love, Mommy
Nicole Haentjens Traore has been teaching kindergarten for twelve years. She has been a Children's Literacy Initiative (CLI) model classroom teacher for seven years at J.W. Catharine Elementary School. She has taught in Chester, Pennsylvania, as well as Fayetteville, North Carolina. She has three certifications: English Secondary Education, Elementary Education, and a Reading Specialist certificate. Nicole is also a published poet. Nicole attended the 2012 Invitational ELL Summer Institute sponsored by the Philadelphia Writing Project.