There's English written on the walls
of foreign countries; Stenciled
on the cement blocks of bridges
I've seen curses and prayers.

There were works of art written
in broken grammar, set to the rules
of different languages. There's something
lost in the fragmented sentences, the inevitability

of an eclipse. I wonder if the people
of those countries feel the weight
of these words growing legs
and walking around their cities.

Maybe they don't
even see them, a word
can be placed directly in front of our eyes
without us ever feeling its gravity
holding us to the ground.