“J’aime les chapeaux”

Watch four years pass by

Spent an hour at a time

In a colorful like kindergarten room

Full of twitchy teens learning

French, Français s’il vous plaît

Watch the class size whittle down

Year by year

28 turn 7

Looser reigns now

Left unmonitored

In unused classrooms, half-looking

At dialogue sheets, thinking

College next, after this

Watch kind Madame

Watch re-taking tests until 100%

Watch bocce ball tournaments

Watch saddest movie of all time for extra credit

Watch us laughing

Watch us not working

Watch us bickering and staying quiet and listening

Twitching, snickering

Mes amis

Is it because French

Was my English for friendship

That now four years is

“bonjour” and “rien” and “moi aussi”

And now I stumble through

Basic French Learning Exercise

Trying to conjugate

I could’ve tried a little harder

Try to learn instead of intake

Work for 100% first time, not third

I could’ve

And yet I look at

“J’aime les chapeaux”

And it spells friendship to me