The Last Concert at the Honolulu Zoo

THE LAST CONCERT AT THE HONOLULU ZOO

The sun was leaving for the night, as it always has
Every night, every life, every backwards, every forwards
Every despair, and ever joy.
Through the banyan it shimmered there
Over the bandstand, over the dancing ukulele player
Over the people gathered there
To hear what there was to hear from the band
Singing there
And the elephants behind us with their waving ears
And the new babies lifting their heads on their parents’
shoulders and the buyers and the sellers and picnickers
in one breath to hear what there was to hear when there’s
nothing left to be said all over again, it’s falling
and rising all over again.
We gave it what we had,
Then left, with the sun.


c JOY HARJO August 26, 2004 Honolulu