[…]

I want to […]—learn the language to see

the cotton wood as kwealich ice, the dancing tree;

the killer whales as quell’ lhol mechen, our relatives

under the sea; the whole glorious landscape

filled with meaning to end my grieving.

When I was young, I was invited to learn

Xwilngexw’qen, the people’s language,

but I said no. I didn’t understand. I thought

I wanted to learn how to be rich. I didn’t know

that the only way to posses all the weather

of the world is by naming it—here is bird song,

here is the kiss of a lover, here is the feel

of cold water at the peak of summer.

I have spent my life with words, trying to name

a hint of what I lost by not learning my language.

[…]

PRIEST, Rena. (A Poem Is a) Naming Ceremony. The Madrona Project, Pacific Northwest, v. 2, n. 1, 1 jul. 2021.