I fumble for words that once flowed with ease

I fumble for words that once flowed with ease,

a 'grande' slips out, brings a blush to my knees.

The barista raises an eyebrow, looks away,

my tongue feels heavy, it’s lost in the fray.

Those lessons once danced in my head, now they fade,

a textbook untouched, memories of a trade.

The cadence of phrases I used to know well,

like dust on the shelf, they whisper and dwell.