WEBVTT

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And also at the retreat, we
had the beautiful reading

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last night.

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And then also during
some of our discussions,

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we talked about water.

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The water in us and
the water around us.

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And how we know water in our
language, the words for water,

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for instance.

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And so I want to share this
last one, which is about water

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and my own journey with water.

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And at the end, it
references my friend

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from Massachusetts, Wampanoag
linguist and her work.

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Anyway, so these are
the water places.

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It's called
"Blessings for Water."

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I've imagined the Gila River
as it ran through the desert

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with all its bounty.

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Where today, the children say
they can hear the river running.

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I've touched the waters of the
White River in Eastern Arizona.

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I have put my foot in the slow
currents of the San Pedro.

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I've ridden the waves of
the Colorado and rested

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on its flows, paying homage to
the deities and spirits that

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call the canyons home.

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I've seen the Rio Grande run
rapids in the north and meander

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through the flats of
southern New Mexico,

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where whooping cranes
rest on their way home.

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I've lived in a place called Red
River, where there was no river,

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but named for a movie.

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I've lived near the Rillito
River, a river named twice.

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A river that can flow with
the best during rainy winters

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and rich summer monsoons.

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A dry riverbed, most of the year
harboring the homeless and those

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alone.

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As for larger bodies of water,
we must pray at their feet

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and give gifts.

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I have done so and record
them here to be witnessed.

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I have offered blessings at the
Pacific Ocean in San Diego, Los

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Angeles, La Jolla, Ventura
Beach, surrounded by vacationers

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and dogs chasing Frisbees.

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I have offered prayer
at a dry, hot desert

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beach in the Gulf of California,
with only Mexican fishermen

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caring for their nets as alibi.

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I have humbled myself on the
black beaches of Hawaii, twice

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the beach at Waikiki, oblivious
to bronze bodies and surfers

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who would testify.

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I have offered
blessing only once

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at the Atlantic Ocean
at Martha's Vineyard,

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with the woman who shook
a language from sleep

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as my witness.

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Thank you very much.

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[APPLAUSE]

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Yeah.

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I just want to thank
everyone for being here.

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And Tyler, I want to thank
you, and Kim, and everybody.

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I'm going to leave people out.

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I should say we do
have some developments

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in our breaking news story
that have just come in.

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My mom texted me and she
said the emcee is great.

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Oh, thank you.

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Oh, thank you.

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I didn't ask for that.

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Thank you.

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I just love the poets
reading their own poems.

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This is her-- this
is her talking.

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It gives poetry a
whole new meaning.

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Thank them all.

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So let's thank them all.

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[APPLAUSE]

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Oh, and we do have
books for sale.

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And I should know where that is.

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But I just got here
an hour ago, so it's--

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oh, it's back there.

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OK.

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Yeah.

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So thanks for
everyone for coming.

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Thank you.

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[APPLAUSE]

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