so

so

here one of us is

unless you are reading over my shoulder

or otherwise have me under surveillance

but isn’t this a conversation?

i speaking,

you listening?

not exactly. i haven’t said a word.

i taptaptap with an inexpensive finger

on the image of a keyboard. i take my time,

change my mind, backpedal

without using my legs,

and later you

will learn what i have texted you

without using your ears

unless you are blind or otherwise unable

to read your screen, in which case

your app reads it aloud for you,

sometimes translating it from english

into hindustani or arabic or swedish

or hebrew or spanish or what you speak

in kenya.

so

what you are reading or seeing

is not quite so or not exactly so

or not so fast but certainly

approximately so.

and if you reply,

and i hope you do,

what i read will not mean

exactly what you meant to say

even if it is english from england

(hello, christine!)

but i hope to mostly understand.

even though nothing is exactly so

and sometimes the translation is so-so,

we try.

sometimes there will be shared delight.

i hope

so.