Spanish Class

I sit in Spanish class
And try my best

To look interested
To concentrate on my writing

The teacher (la maestra) talks
And writes on the board
Her voice is:

A perfect example of the accent I need to imitate
Nasal and grating
Supplementing my education
Beating against my nerves

I understand her intentions
But the Spanish language
Remains as strange as
Marbles on my tongue

I swallow them
And cannot speak

Because I remain
Silent, I am thought
To be stupid.

But the Spanish language is
Simply too big.

A vast ocean
I ran into, splashing
Only to slip
And drown among
Waves and conjugations
(brilla, brilla)