My friend asked one day,
"Why do you always speak English?"
It's not because i'm ashamed of my language,
I'm ashamed of myself.

You call our language a different name.
We call our main one Tagalog.
Yet even when i'm with my family,
My tongue will twist and turn.

Years away from where I was born,
I slowly forget it's simple form.
When I go back and you speak to me,
I struggle to make it form

Or is it because I feel
intimidated by those who speak
I know the words inside
I only lack the confidence

From time to time I beg
my parents to teach me.
I watch jealous and left out,
as I watch them speak by heart.

Afraid of my twisting tongue
Afraid to get it wrong
Afraid of what the others think
"The girl who never speaks her language."

After a long day,
I lay on my bed
And practice speaking my language
A smile knowing it's still there.

- - -

We needed to write at least one poem for our English class. We had to write a poem based on our cultures and i'm from the Philippines so this is what I wrote.

This is about me who's afraid to say my words wrong when I speak Tagalog or what you guys call it Filipino language. It was inspired when I remembered one of my best friends who asked why I wasn't speaking in Tagalog.

It's not because i'm ashamed of my language but because i'm ashamed of myself for not being able to form a sentence without messing up. I mean, I can form it but I just lack the confidence when it comes to other people.