Figurative language is like the physical activities and techniques I use when I do workshops on race and oppression. The language of the body and the language of the figurative both hold so many more nuances than naked, literal language, or the body language of the everyday. "Hello, how are you?" A shrug. A wink.

Vulgar. When something is said figuratively, it is said with the hope that someone will understand. And of course they never do literally, but they put their own spin on it, and it comes with a much more complex, rich, vibrant emotional and historical interpretation. It comes with the hope that I will say or do something that has no known definition, and you will understand me. Because we are human, and although we are different we wrestle with struggles on shared themes.

Look to the words. Look to the motions. There is no answer in my eyes. The answer to my answer is in your eyes. This language comes from one and is understood by another, but we are still speaking to one another in a language that has been mostly forgotten.