Must

Abstract

We have the base of what Gerald Vizenor termed survivance inherently stitched into our memory, mind-set, and measure. de-escalations, disarmament, and returns. Insomuch that the music and texts of the day still hold power, we must question these wrongful events and remember not to repeat them again. In this spirit, the inclusions in the following special section present ways of being present, engaged, active, and completely alive despite maneuvers to oppress and terminate. These words are memory, happening currently , and nourishment to feed our rising above the sense of despair we carry with the strength of fighting injustice, standing upright, and the strength of peace in the clarity of what it means to take a stand, to resist, and to deliver better options for the future of human life. Sending support to all who take the stand against injustice, who stand for equity, equality, balance, harmony , good health for the planet and all its measure of creatures and beings; to all who understand the significance of Indigenous knowledge and significance of caretaking of the waters, earth, air, and life; and to all who keep a fire for the future and hold the timeliness of memory close. The time for raising consciousness is now, is imperative, and each and every active engagement we devote ourselves to can be the difference of life or death. Make a difference. We must be fierce in the face of fear and peaceful with the world we need. In the end, our actions and inactions are our measure and our grace. It is such a privilege to bring this offering of essays, stories, poems bringing deeper meaning to what we know and what these words call us to do: partake, participate! Riverside, California Allison Adelle Hedge Coke’s books include Streaming, Burn, and Effigies III. Her recent awards include the Library of Congress Witter Bynner Fellowship, the First Jade Nurtured SiHui Female International Poetry Award, a Fulbright Fellowship, and the Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals. A distinguished professor of creative writing at UC Riverside and a former sharecropper, she has worked fields, factories, waters. We must live and decide for ourselves what our lives are to be. Each year, each day, each minute of our time on Earth matters. We must believe in what we are doing. We must be sure of what we are doing in order to survive and be sustainable and go on and on and on. We must be sure of what we are doing as we live. We must be certain of what kind of life we are to live within. We must be sure to value the past, present, and the future. We must respect, honor, and help others always and always. We must believe in love because without love nothing is possible. Must is a word that has to do with responsibility, obligation, humility, simplicity, gratitude, integrity. Must is also a word having to do with respect, honesty, fairness, equality, and reliability. And must also means: we must allow ourselves to live life. Poet, fiction, and creative nonfiction writer Simon J. Ortiz (Acoma Pueblo) is a retired Regents Professor at Arizona State University and editor emeritus of Red Ink journal. He is determined to express an Indigenous voice that he believes is the essence of present-day reality, conscience, culture, and sense of responsibility. Must by Simon J. Ortiz HEDGE COKE PHOTO: ADRIANNE MATHIOWETZ Visit worldlit.org to read the full poem. WORLDLIT.ORG 55 ILLUSTRATION: DUSTIN MATER ...