It’s the way I pause when I
come across Goethe and
whisper the name—
Gir-tah.
To make sure I
still remember how
it’s supposed to sound
on the tongue.
To remind myself it does not
feel how it looks.
Jazmine Aluma is a Jewish, Latinx writer and poet who studied writing at UCLA. She is currently working on a MFA in Creative Writing at Antioch University. Her work has been published in The Boston Globe, LA YOGA Magazine, Bust.com, and Jewish Journal among others. Jazmine is a teaching artist for Get Lit–Words Ignite, where she guides young people in the art of spoken word. She lives in the Los Angeles area and is working on a memoir. You can find more of her work at www.jazminealuma.com.
