Dialects

He twitches
You thwack

He pulls where you often
Push back

His humor—extra dry
Yours—let’s just say, employs a broader brush

Formality in counterpoint to
Sly asides that oft provoke a blush

This gesture of your arm means
Come, not go
When you approve you
Strike the blade
Just so

The mask whips off and you
Shout praise, not blame
An “A” for effort even if I blew
The phrase

And that’s just tone, contour
Inflection
The details of technique diverge
Upon dissection

The angle of the blade
Is off
The arm is out, not back
The parry with a whipping of the tip
Instead of opposition with the wrist

The same material entirely
Transformed
Through subtle permutations
Accents, mutant forms

This lexicon that I compile
—Russian into English coaching style—
Might serve other students well, but
Don’t hold your breath
This could take quite awhile