Ode to the Head Nod

By Elizabeth Acevedo
the slight angling up of the forehead
neck extension                        quick jut of chin

meeting the strangers’ eyes
a gilded curtsy to the sunfill in another

in yourself      tithe of respect
in an early version the copy editor deleted

the word “head” from the title
the copy editor says              it’s implied

the copy editor means well
the copy editor means

she is only fluent in one language of gestures
i do not explain                     i feel sad for her

limited understanding of greetings              & maybe
this is why my acknowledgements are so long;

didn’t we learn this early?
            to look at white spaces

            & find the color       
            thank god o thank god for

                                                             you               
                                                                                        are here.

Copyright Credit: Elizabeth Acevedo, "Ode to the Head Nod" from Poem-a-Day: June 22, 2020. Copyright © 2020 by Elizabeth Acevedo. Reprinted by permission of The Academy of American Poets, www.poets.org.