--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wrote too many poems in a language I…" description: "\"“I wrote too many poems in a language I did not yet know how to speak But I know now it doesn't matter how well I say grace if I am sitting at a table ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/andrea-gibson-3085_andrea-gibson_i-wrote-too-many-poems-in-a-language-i-d_514368.png" --- # I wrote too many poems in a language I did not yet know… ![“I wrote too many poems in a language I did not yet know how to speak But I know now it doesn't matter how well I say grace if I am sitting at a table where I am offering no bread to eat So this is my wheat field you can have every acre, Love this is my garden song this is my fist fight with that…” quote by Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/andrea-gibson-3085_andrea-gibson_i-wrote-too-many-poems-in-a-language-i-d_514368.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/andrea-gibson-3085_andrea-gibson_i-wrote-too-many-poems-in-a-language-i-d_514368.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/andrea-gibson-3085_andrea-gibson_i-wrote-too-many-poems-in-a-language-i-d_514368.png) > ““I wrote too many poems in a language I did not yet know how to speak But I know now it doesn't matter how well I say grace if I am sitting at a table where I am offering no bread to eat So this is my wheat field you can have every acre, Love this is my garden song this is my fist fight with that bitter frost tonight I begged another stage light to become that back alley street lamp that we danced beneath the night your warm mouth fell on my timid cheek as i sang maybe i need you off key but in tune maybe i need you the way that big moon needs that open sea maybe i didn't even know i was here til i saw you holding me give me one room to come home to give me the palm of your hand every strand of my hair is a kite string and I have been blue in the face with your sky crying a flood over Iowa so you mother will wake to Venice Lover, I smashed my glass slipper to build a stained glass window for every wall inside my chest now my heart is a pressed flower and a tattered bible it is the one verse you can trust so I'm putting all of my words in the collection plate I am setting the table with bread and grace my knees are bent like the corner of a page I am saving your place”” [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on language barriers, offering love and nourishment despite feeling unprepared, turning brokenness into art and communion. **In simple terms:** Even if you feel unready, you can still give love and create beauty. Key Takeaway Share love, create art from pain. Themes love creativity vulnerability healing identity Mood hopeful introspective poetic Type lyric spiritual inspirational When to use this quote - relationships - creative writing - personal healing - performance art - community building Key Concepts metaphor self‑expression spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How do you offer love when you feel inadequate? - What does it mean to turn brokenness into something beautiful? A Different Perspective The poem assumes the listener can receive the offered love, which may not always be the case. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Spoken word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spoken-word/) [Stained glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stained-glass/) ## Related quotes > [“It is untrue that bravery can be measured by a lack of fear. It takes guts to tremble. It takes tremble to love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/it-is-untrue-that-bravery-can-be-measured-by-a-lack-of-fear-it-takes/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [“So build yourself as beautiful as you want your world to be. Wrap yourself in light then give yourself away with your heart, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/so-build-yourself-as-beautiful-as-you-want-your-world-to-be-wrap/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [“ Rocking Chair Sad is. Scared is. That is all. The rocking chair I live in rocks like a paper boat. Sometimes I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/rocking-chair-sad-is-scared-is-that-is-all-the-rocking-chair-i-live/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [I tell my students to think of poems as language plus, language with value added beyond its everyday use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-youn/i-tell-my-students-to-think-of-poems-as-language-plus-language-with/) [Monica Youn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-youn/) > [The language you use for your poems should be the language you use with your friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/the-language-you-use-for-your-poems-should-be-the-language-you-use/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [Of course the other and more serious way in which it all happens is that one finds in poems and language some quality one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fitzgerald/of-course-the-other-and-more-serious-way-in-which-it-all-happens-is/) [Robert Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fitzgerald/) > [Poems are language turned into art; sound and sense matter; they can be as long or longer than The Odyssey or as short or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-mcgrath/poems-are-language-turned-into-art-sound-and-sense-matter-they-can-be/) [Campbell McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-mcgrath/) > [“Some poems survive it to become poems in another language,” he argued, “but others refuse to live in any language but their own, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/some-poems-survive-it-to-become-poems-in-another-language-he-argued/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [I wanna be the smile you put on your face. I wanna be your hands when you say your grace. I wanna be whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avant/i-wanna-be-the-smile-you-put-on-your-face-i-wanna-be-your-hands-when/) Avant > [We say grace and we say Amen. If you ain't into that, we don't give a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-jr-2/we-say-grace-and-we-say-amen-if-you-ain-t-into-that-we-don-t-give-a/) [Hank Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-jr-2/) > [The true test of humility is whether you can say grace before eating crow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/the-true-test-of-humility-is-whether-you-can-say-grace-before-eating/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [We say grace and we say ma'am. If you ain't in to that, we don't give a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-jr-2/we-say-grace-and-we-say-ma-am-if-you-ain-t-in-to-that-we-don-t-give-a/) [Hank Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-jr-2/) > [“There is more reason to say grace before beginning a book than there is to say it before beginning to dine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/there-is-more-reason-to-say-grace-before-beginning-a-book-than-there/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [“Griffith - What do you know, Mr. McCrae? Colin - More than I should but not enough to say more than I have, Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristi-ann-hunter/griffith-what-do-you-know-mr-mccrae-colin-more-than-i-should-but-not/) [Kristi Ann Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristi-ann-hunter/) > [“Anyway, I don’t want anyone else, I just want Vaughn.’ It was good to finally say it, as if Grace said it out loud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarra-manning/anyway-i-don-t-want-anyone-else-i-just-want-vaughn-it-was-good-to/) [Sarra Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarra-manning/) ## More by Andrea Gibson > [What Gods do you believe in? I'll build you a temple of mirrors so you can see them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/what-gods-do-you-believe-in-i-ll-build-you-a-temple-of-mirrors-so-you/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [Your ignorance keeps dismembering every piece of patience I have left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/your-ignorance-keeps-dismembering-every-piece-of-patience-i-have-left/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [If you were to press your heart close up against somebody else’s heart eventually your hearts will start beating at the same time. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/if-you-were-to-press-your-heart-close-up-against-somebody-else-s/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [You can have a cold war with yourself, even in the summertime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/you-can-have-a-cold-war-with-yourself-even-in-the-summertime/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [Yesterday i carved your name into the surface of an ice cube then held it against my chest til it melted into my aching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/yesterday-i-carved-your-name-into-the-surface-of-an-ice-cube-then/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [Forests may be gorgeous but there is nothing more alive than a tree that learns how to grow in a cemetery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/forests-may-be-gorgeous-but-there-is-nothing-more-alive-than-a-tree/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [“Our hearts beat so loud the neighbours think we’re fucking when I’m just trying to find the nerve to touch your face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/our-hearts-beat-so-loud-the-neighbours-think-we-re-fucking-when-i-m/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [Hey, are you a boy or a — never mind, can I have a push on the swing?” And some day, y’all, when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/hey-are-you-a-boy-or-a-never-mind-can-i-have-a-push-on-the-swing-and/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [Last night I saw your ghost pedalling a bicycle with a basket towards a moon as full as my heavy head and I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/last-night-i-saw-your-ghost-pedalling-a-bicycle-with-a-basket-towards/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [“I am living today as someone I had not yet become yesterday And tonight I'll only borrow pieces of who I am today To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/i-am-living-today-as-someone-i-had-not-yet-become-yesterday-and/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [If you’re handing out flashlights in the dark, start handing out stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/if-you-re-handing-out-flashlights-in-the-dark-start-handing-out-stars/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [“And if there’s one thing in this world I’ve ever known for sure, it’s that this girl is gonna crush me like a small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/and-if-there-s-one-thing-in-this-world-i-ve-ever-known-for-sure-it-s/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [Sometimes the most healing thing to do is remind ourselves over and over and over, other people feel this too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/sometimes-the-most-healing-thing-to-do-is-remind-ourselves-over-and/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [Autumn is the hardest season. The leaves are all falling, and they're falling like they're falling in love with the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/autumn-is-the-hardest-season-the-leaves-are-all-falling-and-they-re/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [We all have different reasons for forgetting to breathe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/we-all-have-different-reasons-for-forgetting-to-breathe/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) [Explore all 140 Andrea Gibson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) ## More Andrea-gibson quotes > [“ Rocking Chair Sad is. Scared is. That is all. The rocking chair I live in rocks like a paper boat. Sometimes I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/rocking-chair-sad-is-scared-is-that-is-all-the-rocking-chair-i-live/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [“So build yourself as beautiful as you want your world to be. Wrap yourself in light then give yourself away with your heart, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/so-build-yourself-as-beautiful-as-you-want-your-world-to-be-wrap/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [“It is untrue that bravery can be measured by a lack of fear. It takes guts to tremble. It takes tremble to love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/it-is-untrue-that-bravery-can-be-measured-by-a-lack-of-fear-it-takes/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) Browse all 4 Andrea-gibson quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I wrote too many poems in a language I did not yet know how to speak But I know now it doesn't matter how well I say grace if I am sitting at a table where I am offering no bread to eat So this is my wheat field you can have every acre, Love this is my garden song this is my fist fight with that bitter frost tonight I begged another stage light to become that back alley street lamp that we danced beneath the night your warm mouth fell on my timid cheek as i sang maybe i need you off key but in tune maybe i need you the way that big moon needs that open sea maybe i didn't even know i was here til i saw you holding me give me one room to come home to give me the palm of your hand every strand of my hair is a kite string and I have been blue in the face with your sky crying a flood over Iowa so you mother will wake to Venice Lover, I smashed my glass slipper to build a stained glass window for every wall inside my chest now my heart is a pressed flower and a tattered bible it is the one verse you can trust so I'm putting all of my words in the collection plate I am setting the table with bread and grace my knees are bent like the corner of a page I am saving your place”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrea Gibson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/i-wrote-too-many-poems-in-a-language-i-did-not-yet-know-how-to-speak/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Andrea-gibson" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/i-wrote-too-many-poems-in-a-language-i-did-not-yet-know-how-to-speak/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/andrea-gibson-3085_andrea-gibson_i-wrote-too-many-poems-in-a-language-i-d_514368.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/andrea-gibson-3085_andrea-gibson_i-wrote-too-many-poems-in-a-language-i-d_514368.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/andrea-gibson-3085_andrea-gibson_i-wrote-too-many-poems-in-a-language-i-d_514368.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wrote too many poems in a language I did not yet know how to speak But I know now it doesn't matter how…” — Andrea Gibson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Andrea Gibson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I wrote too many poems in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/i-wrote-too-many-poems-in-a-language-i-did-not-yet-know-how-to-speak/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/i-wrote-too-many-poems-in-a-language-i-did-not-yet-know-how-to-speak/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```