So we have gone to the mountain, and then we're
going to go home.
And so this last piece is the one about going home,
or can be about going home, or how you can go home.
And all of it centers around memory.
And I use smoke, the smell of smoke, as my road.
So this is called "Smoke in our Hair."
"The scent of burning wood holds the strongest memory.
Mesquite, cedar, piñon, juniper, all are distinct.
Mesquite is dry desert air and mild winter.
Cedar and piñon are colder places.
Winter air in our hair is pulled away and scent of smoke
settles in its place.
We walk around the rest of the day
with the aroma resting on our shoulders.
The sweet smell holds the strongest memory.
We stand around the fire.
The sound of the crackle of wood and spark is ephemeral.
Smoke, like memories, permeate our hair, our clothing,
our layers of skin.
The smoke travels deep to the seat of memory.
We walk away from the fire.
No matter how far we walk, we carry this scent
with us, New York, France, Germany.
We catch the scent of burning wood, and we are brought home."
Thank you very much.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you very much for the wonderful reading.
And thank you for the audience.
[APPLAUSE]