When Echolalia Becomes a World in the Mouth of my Son
Jenny Maaketo | Poetry
Echolalia, a form of imitation, is a useful component of language acquisition.
—National Institute of Health
How do I know if making pillows of his lips w/ma ma is for fun
or function? When do fluffs of accent just to muffle his trumpet
become a beckon for my breast? His spar w/consonant w/vowel
w/consonant w/vowel is a soft mallet he drops & drops. Sounds
topple like dominoes as he babbles zigzag A to Z. He furls cupid’s
bow to meet the warm maroon of his tongue, unfurls top lip from
bottom to em-dash the air—I marvel—how can I button things w/
meaning through the holes of his hungry lobes? But to repeat ma
ma w/feeling—head off the word w/emphasis: “That’s ME! Ma
MA. I’m MAma,” w/gestures to my chest, as if my heartbeat is a
diorama I point to on ecstatic display. I watch my baby’s face for
flints stricken in recognition as sounds shape into bright objects
in his brain. I pan for my talisman a spoken gold when he echoes
syllables w/starfish hands midair to grasp the wonder in me stilled.
JENNY MAAKETO (she/her) is a neurodivergent writer, nurse, and former professional actress. She is currently an MFA poetry candidate at the University of Mississippi, as well as the managing editor for Yalobusha Review. Her poems appear or are forthcoming in Post Road Magazine, Pembroke Magazine, Heavy Feather Review, Amsterdam Review, Midway Journal, Cherry Tree, The Florida Review, and elsewhere. In her spare time, Jenny loves to binge Antiques Roadshow, fold modular origami, and color-coordinate her closet. She lives in rural Mississippi with her husband, toddler son, newborn daughter, four dogs, two cats, a chicken, and a mess of love.