fourth.

if a picture is worth
a thousand words
what is it worth
to see you standing before me
when the shutter closes on you, illuminated
there is something that is not captured
series of images fail to encompass you
pictures valued at a thousand words each
do nothing to expose you
i cannot grasp you
in light
in lens
processed negatives only showcase your surface
as much as I wish to immortalize you
in snapshots
i realize that you are so much more beautiful
when camera does not obscure my vision
a picture may be worth a thousand words
but you represent native tongues
you are worth entire languages
instead of being a tourist camera around neck
overhearing you
in snippets of whispered conversations
in foreign cafes
i want
to learn
to speak you.