I understand your annoyance completely, I do
When the lady before you cannot understand you
Her proficiency in English language is limited
But she is trying to provide a service using language stilted
You have nothing against immigrants in general
But knowing English in this country is a requirement reasonable..
You are running out of patience, and you know
She can unfortunately sense so
She is scared, she fumbles for words some more
You decide to forget the request you’d made before
You think of withholding your tip, but to be fair
She gave you a good service, with attention and care
She did not understand some of your requests, it’s true
But she charges a lower fee for her service too..
*
After you’ve paid and tipped, you head back
And think about the immigrant who lacks
Proficiency in the language of this land
How she manages to work here, you can’t understand
It must take a lot of courage, you realize suddenly
To work in a foreign land, in the service industry
Without knowing the language well, you wonder how she
Overcomes her fear and faces her customers with dignity
You see her in a different light, and your frustration
With her lack of knowledge changes to admiration..
*
Each time you use her services you find
Her grasp of English is better, her sentences more refined
She doesn’t know but you cheer for her secretly
You want her to succeed in this land of opportunity
Passion...unbridled 