Because it has a 26-letter alphabet
making up words that made no sense to me
Because it has so many pronunciations
that confused me even more than I already was
Because it was not my first language
and people laughed as I stuttered over simple words
I forced myself to endure
the criticism, mocking, judgments
And took my time
to explore, study, practice
Eventually I learned to appreciate
Because the opportunity
is mine to cherish
Because the knowledge
is mine to discover
Because being bilingual
is part of me.