Translation - Ariani Ray

Separation not by country
Tears between relationships
Sound, culture, laughter,
Things with different effects on me

My mom says she loves me, but that’s normal for me
A boy tells me he loves me and butterflies fly freely

I’m a wall in between two realities

Family and friends
A fountain overflowing with emotions

I tell my family things I wouldn’t normally tell my friends,
But my friends know—without words—that it’s not me trying to hide

Words and expressions are used oddly
I’ll hug both groups:

For my friends, it’s a symbol of goodbye, but
For my family, it’s a sign I’m going to cry
My dad says he’ll kick their ass but he doesn’t really mean it in context
My friends say the same; they’re sitting in the office being told their actions were nonsense

I’ll get lost in the words—in the translations
How do two groups of people,
Both that mean so much to me, have such different aspects
They’re both my safety nets
Catching me when I need saving

They have contrast in perspective
Praise and denial
One praises with admiration
The other with hatred

Words lost at the river
Hope gained in the breeze
The moon crescent on they’re faces
Brighter than the moonlight’s ease

Choices in vocabulary not a blunder nor a blur
Waves crash onto the sea, just their eyes sink
But they’ll rise the next day
Bringing me joy when all I want is to fall
No matter the oddity, there’s beauty in the difference