One more from this book before my poems.
And that's from the lovely Anne Marie McDonnell,
who lives over in New Mexico.
"The Swimmers."
"After all the wolves on the island were killed by cyanide,
traps, and bullets, decades later,
wolves from the mainland swam for miles
to repopulate the island.
By dream, by twitch, by lope, by gazing from the shore,
by howls that gather, by circle and whine,
by hint, rumor, and surge, by yearn, nip, and bark,
by stretch, itch, and shake.
By splash, dunk, and swim by starlight,
by bull kelp and driftwood, by calm and gelatinous sea,
by stink of whale, by salt of far, by winter fur,
by paws as paddles.
By chuff and nostril huff, by steam of breath above the sea,
by belly of salmon, by hunger for deer, by memory in blood.
By roam for love, by milk and teat, by marrow and fat.
By muscle, skull, and golden eyes, by magnetic pull.
By currents and tides, by miles.
By sinking cold with no one watching.
By sea, by sea, by sea."
Here's the spirit of the wolves.
[APPLAUSE]
There's so many treasures in this book.
A great joy.
And I think Geramee's here.
Geramee Hensley.
He was my editorial assistant, helped me so much
in finding poems and new poets and in formatting
the manuscript.
Mwah!
Love and gratitude, my friend.