Illustration by Tomiris Tatisheva
in Portuguese the word for language is the same as
the word for tongue
so allow me to replace from now on
language for língua
tongue for língua
and my língua for yours
allow me to teach you the ways of my língua
and what I can do with it
here, let me show you
let me prove to you how I can twist it
in your mouth
bear witness to the twirls
and lashes
and backflips
my língua can do
don’t be afraid of my língua
let it consume you
and bring you the joys of its sinuous curves
the way it slides into
your mouth
your ear
your country
let my língua penetrate you
in your neighborhoods and schools and counties
let it seduce you
and confuse you
with its gendered articles and its wet caress
surrender yourself to my língua
let it make you moan
to its phonemes you struggle to pronounce
não, cão, mão
confuse you with its temporal verbs
serenade you with its sounds
and bring you pleasure with its perfect pitch
Isabella Redivo (she/her) is a senior majoring in English at the School of General Studies. She's an immigrant from Brazil who got to call California home for five years before moving to the East Coast and is now mostly seen roaming the streets of Morningside Heights, complaining about the weather. She loves to crochet, write silly poems, and hang out with Jennifer, her cat. You can find her on Instagram @bellasux and Facebook.