Today’s go-to for what ails: genetic explanations
Poor language blamed on the ancestors
genetic variants are the keys to language development
children’s language mirrors parental responses
This is the theory of the moment
What will future research implicate?
We gather preliminary evidence
Study biological mechanisms.
build neural systems with each other
Still we struggle with language,
genetic factors keep us from communicating
So we search the human genome for an answer
to the complexity of language

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Kristina Heflin is a horseback riding instructor, originally from Northern California. She has served on the editorial board of the literary journal Flumes. She has been published in the literary journals Flumes, Canyon Voices, Fearsome Critters, and Broad River Review, the website 2Elizabeths, among others. When she’s not writing, she enjoys riding her own horse, Lucero, and hiking with her dog, Jessie. www.sagasandmythos.wordpress.com

Photo: Nick Fewings