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Mountain of Names
- University of Wisconsin Press
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31 MOUNTAIN OF NAMES I’mbadwithnames,soasIpushforty, IforgivemyselfforhikinglowerRainier pastlotsofbiggish,greyishbirds thatIcan’tdescribemoreprecisely. Titfortat:thebirdsdon’tknow myspeciesname,either,Homosapiens, normy“common”moniker,Angela, whichmeans“messengerfromGod,” noraretheyawareofmymedicinaluses, spelledoutonmyorgandonorcard. It’saspringday,dizzywithignorance. Theashinthismeadow’svolcanic(Iguess) exceptfortheone-tenthofonepercent thatusedtobemygrandmother. Wescatteredherherewithnomarker, andfieldguidesdon’tlisthernewname, nowthatshe’scrossedover fromthehumanitiestothesciences. Isashamineral? Isdeathimplicitintheperiodictable? IfIcouldcoinawordforthismeadow, partgrandmother,partvolcano,I’dkeepmum. Themountain’smostitselfwhendarkness veilsitsglacier,thewaykeymessages transmitthemselves, sansmessenger. ...