German-A Love Story

I remember the first time I saw an umlaut.

It was more than my pronunciation that began to change.

The s-set lingered on my tongue.

And something imperative was commanding me.

The articles defined my gender.

And the accusative became the direct object of my affection.

The first dative was a preposition I accepted.

When I discovered genitive case, I knew I belonged to it.

The adjectives possessed me.

Their endings explained my nouns just in case.

My past was perfectly simple.

I spoke passively of the present.

I modaled my desires.

When I thought of the wedding (hochzeit), I felt something rise in the back of my throat. 

When I spoke of Subjunctive, the hypothetical possibilities thrilled me.

And the infinitive -en, I knew how all the actions would end.

The pattern of verbs, aligned with the subjects.

Questions and statements differed only by structure.

The -ei left me weak in the Knie.

And I know my future affair with werden will be bright.

I will never negate our passion.

 

 Deutsch, ich liebe dich!