Wow, I almost forgot to stand up and come up here.
I just was so enthralled by that.
Thank you so much, Susan.
Thank you all for being here.
It's wonderful to gather with all of you
and share in some poetry.
I do want to take a moment to thank the University of Arizona
Poetry Center and all the incredible staff, Tyler, Diana,
Paola, Julie, Sarah, and everyone
else who has welcomed us, and then
Farid and Susan for inviting us into Tucson and just making us
feel so at home, and everyone else at the Center.
Thank you so much.
And what an honor, of course, to read with my beloved here.
And that's always a special treat
when we get the chance to do that,
to hear one another's poem read aloud.
So I will be reading mostly from Yellow Rain,
but I would like to start with a poem from Afterland.