Her hand lifts in front of her,
and she shakes it up and down, her pointer finger extended.
There is meaning there,
but I cannot hold it in my head.
Her features move, rearranging themselves.
Wrinkles bunch up around her eyes,
and her mouth changes shape.
I know this shows “emotion,”
but is it “anger,” “shame,” “fear” or “lust”?
I have learned these words, and I can use them in a sentence.
“Mr. Jones is angry about gas prices.”
“Mrs. Smith is ashamed of her coprolalia.”
She shakes her head.
This sometimes means “no.”
Her voice is loud, and she is not saying “No.”
“I’m very disappointed . . .”
Disappointed is messing up a drawing,
or missing the ball for the seventy-ninth time.
Her hand drops,
and I have missed the ball again.