A LITERARY JOURNAL PUBLISHING STANDOUT TEEN WRITERS AGES 13-19
trans-late
by Everett Lane (United States)
February 2023
Audio: "trans-late," read by Charlie Langford
Any word is un-trans-latable
if you are bad enough
at trans-lating things. For instance:
I am trying to tell you
this skin is not my own
but the words get tangled up
in my throat and spill out as
I am not my own
which is not what I mean. For instance:
I am trying to tell you
wish I were a boy
but you mis-trans-late the words and hear
wish I were less of a girl
which is not what I mean. For instance:
I trans-late myself into ink
as someone you would not recognize.
You are teaching me to drive. The traffic light
spills out wavelengths that my eyes trans-late
into colors and my mind trans-lates into words:
stop and go and wait. You are talking about women and I
am talking about women and
you and I
are not talking about the same thing.
Stop. Wait. I am trying to trans-late myself
into words you will understand but you will not understand.
Anything is un-trans-latable
if you are a bad enough trans-lator.
You tell me, turn left. but not too left.
You tell me, of course I respect them, but-
You tell me, I don't understand why you can't just-
Time is a river, growing greater, and there is no bridge
to span far enough. No trans-lation across its dark
waters. No way of saying both, neither, stop, go, wait.
No way of explaining a cell phone to a caveman,
no way of explaining a rainbow before there was rain,
no way of explaining the universe in binary code.
Anything is un-trans-latable if you are a bad enough trans-lator
and I fear I am the worst of all.
Everett Lane, age 16, is a student poet from California. They enjoy words, sentences, and organizing things in spreadsheets.
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Vee
3/9/24, 12:43 AM
This was absolutely a good read! 😃
Ushing Mya
11/24/23, 4:42 PM
I'm amazed by your deep perception towards little things of life! Keep glowing dear Taieba.
Fatima Ismail
10/4/23, 10:28 AM
I'll like to see more of your writing
Fatima Ismail
10/4/23, 10:26 AM
Gsk I love it!
dont care
10/3/23, 7:58 PM
womp womp
Andrea
9/29/23, 2:03 AM
Andrea
9/29/23, 2:03 AM
Wow..just wow. Ridiculous words I know. I just stumbled across your poem as this is my first time on the website and I landed this masterpiece. As an immigrant myself, I could relate to several aspects of this. Your use of imagery, symbolism, and allusion is outstanding
Lola
9/17/23, 8:43 AM
Powerful. Spreading the truth some don't think about, some don't have to worry about. A great and strong piece.
9/16/23, 2:41 AM
9/16/23, 2:41 AM
9/16/23, 2:41 AM
Aisha Yaakub
8/25/23, 10:35 PM
Excellent and amazing