[APPLAUSE]
I'm going to read one more from this book.
But before I do that, I want to acknowledge Jim Perlman, who's
in the audience, who is the founder and the publisher
of Holy Cow!
Press.
And that's who published this volume.
[APPLAUSE]
And like Arizona Press, Holy Cow also
does a lot to support Indigenous writers.
So check out their list too.
We're going to sell a lot of books in this room.
[LAUGHS]
So some of you may have heard that Jaune Quick-to-See
Smith died a few days ago.
She was an incredible Indigenous artist.
She also wrote poetry.
She was just a really amazing woman.
And I had a little correspondence with her.
And actually, in Ancient Light, there's
a poem that's dedicated to her because it's
written as an ekphrastic piece, and engage--
from looking at one of her works.
But I thought that we've been living through a lot of loss
in recent years, all of us.
And I wanted to throw this poem out in the world for you,
if you've experienced loss, and also
in the memory of that beautiful artist, whose work we
will treasure for decades.
Afterwards.
Because the smallness of our being is our only greatness.
Because one night I was in a room listening
until only one heart beat.
Because in these last years, I've
worn, and worn, and nearly worn out my black funeral shoes.
Because the gesture of after words
means the same thing, no matter who speaks them.
Because faith, belief, forever are only words.
No matter.
Because matter disappears always and eventually.
Because action is not matter, but energy
that's spent, changes being.
And if death too is a change of being, perhaps action counts.
And if death is a land of unknowing,
perhaps we do well to live with uncertainty.
And if death is a forested land, it would be good to learn trees.
And if death is a kingdom, it would
be good to practice service.
And if death is a foreign state, we
should loosen allegiance to this one.
And if our soul leaves our body, then we must rehearse goodbye.
[APPLAUSE]