Relearning Spanish (revised)

Familiar noise like the crackling of a soup
you haven’t tasted in months.

Everyone speaks so fast
and so did you, so you try
but cough up wool instead.

What has stuck with you
are the ups & downs
of sadness, excitement,
that mixture of both.

Your head explodes
with the slow curves of language.

But it's the actual words you can't remember.
Words for the quiet pleasure of friendship,
for example, or a kiss hello on the cheek.