Thank you, Gail.
Whoops.
Thank you all for coming.
It's an honor to be here.
Those of you who were at the celebration yesterday,
Billy Collins was so funny.
I thought I'd begin with some funny poems,
but I was looking through my book,
and I couldn't find any funny poems.
[LAUGHTER]
I'm going to read for about 30 minutes,
and then if anyone has any questions,
I'd be happy to take them.
So it is really an honor to be here, and thank you.
The first poem I'm going to read is called "Words."
"We miss what we miss.
In adulthood, we miss childhood.
In July, we miss January.
In the city, we miss the country.
In the desert, we ask for clouds.
We miss what we miss.
With one view, we miss another.
With one memory, another speaks.
With one desire, another whispers.
With one night, others are lit.
We miss what we miss.
When it passes, it stays.
When it feeds, its hunger grows.
When it fills, it empties.
When it matures, it loses age.
We miss what we miss.
To what we miss, years.
To how we miss, seconds.
To where we miss, timelessness.
To why we miss, the end of time.
We miss what we miss.
And in all the missing, a life.
And in the life, a mourning.
And in the mourning, a story.
And in the story, words."