I stroked the palm

of my hand gently,

and I saw you watching me,

not yet introduced, a fumbled attempt

in truth, to make friends.

I had made an H, crude,

followed by the easier e

and a couple of l’s and o

Hello, I signed silently,

mouthing it as if an unsure echo

would clarify my delight

in speaking to you with slow insecure fingers.

 

You smiled, a moment and a barrier broken.

 

You then asked me a question,

to which I had no answer,

not having got that far along

in my education,

silent disapproval followed,

you never spoke to me again.

 

Ian D. Hall 2018.