Ofelia Zepeda's poem reminds us how language imprisons thinking:
"Walking with Language"
Some have carried it, held it close, protected.
Others have pulled it along like a reluctant child.
Still others have waved it like a flag, a signal to others.
And some have filled it with rage
and dare others to come close.
And there are those who find their language
a burdensome shackle.
They continually pick at the lock.
(Quoted from page ix of We Are Our Language: An ethnography of language revitalization in a northern Athabaskan community, by Barbra A. Meek. The University of Arizona Press, 2010)
For a brief biography of Ofelia Zepeda, click here. For images of or relating to Ofelia Zepeda, click here. For a short video about Ofelia Zepeda, click here.
For a brief work biography of Barbra A. Meek, click here.
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