Tyranny Of Trident Tongue Poem by Harun Al Nasif

Yeah, what you see is secondary, not inherent;
Appeared several years after birth - the flapping flag of the nation.

And the third one you are looking at,
At times, presenting itself proudly, evading the guards,
Is the royal (read colonial) residue.
Hard-earned, geared up by pecuniary pursuits,
My speech is shriveled by the tyranny of this trident tongue.

My late mother, my sibling in linguistic lineage,
Even with a coarse tongue,
Was elegantly eloquent to incite envy.
But I am her unworthy child,
Despite being a proud owner of three tongues,
Constantly grappling with the suave discourse,
Longing to infuse my alert utterance with a polished panache.