(a secret poem, not to be published or recited aloud*)
“Begay Benally Yazzie Lee
Mailboy Nez Cowboy Chee
Tso Tom Nakai Tsosi
Descheny Yabenni
Bitsi Hoski Tsinojinny”
And finally
“Laughter.”
Author's Note: *Navajos have two names, a private and a public one. Since the ones listed here are the public names, and since the proscription against naming applies only to the private ones, the poem is a joke.
Ron Singer wrote a series of poems about his time living with the Navajo in the Navajo Nation. See more poems about the Navajo Nation here.
The Navajo Nation is a huge area, lying across parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico.