This is the language that I was taught
___ This be the language I’ve known

My speech has been bent by rules and disguised by grammar
___ My voice rasps plagued by principles and twisted in societal assimilation

A voice
___ A soul

Is forged on the foundation of united structure
___ Is flattened by the smith’s hammer striking iron

Matures with experience in the craft
___ Suffers trapped in the shadow of experience

Opens windows of opportunity
___ Closes doors of open thought

I once knew the sound of the voice inside my head
___ At one point my speech could be understood

But now it whispers
___ But now it screams

This be the language I’ve known
___ This is the language that I was taught

My voice rasps plagued…
___ My speech has been bent…

Now I communicate neither
___ And I express so much more.