Yesterday, Chester Nez died—the last Navajo Code Talker.
As a child, he was told to
Forget. Forget your language.
He did not.
As a man, he was asked
Can you remember?
Remember your beautiful language,
the language nobody knows?
Once remembered, can you weave it
Word by word into a code?
Can you do this despite the noise
of all those ghosts
murmuring in their many languages
who follow you everywhere?
Can you save us with language?
Will you? Yes, he said,
Yes.
Puff Of Smoke Poems 