Page 61 of The Secret to Belonging

Espen

like a tree, you think

what does it mean?

it’s my name, he smiles

you blush. of course it is

you live in a constant state of translation

every word means another word

means the thing it is

it doesn’t translate to anything?

Espen is the same in Norwegian

or English

your face burns before you realize

he’s teasing

i actually don’t know if it has a meaning, he says

i’ll have to ask my mom

he nods toward you

and you? your name?

are you a noun?

or an adjective?

he smiles

or a maybe a verb?

a verb, you think

you want to be a verb

if you were a verb

you’d take his face in your hands

and pull him down

you stare at his lips

it means to strive, you say

to excel

to rival