My name is Ofelia Zepeda, and I am a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation. And this is my poem:
Dear Vaccine/Kulañ, ṣa: ‘ap a’i masma
‘Ia ‘att m-nam k m-nowǐ bebhĕ.
We meet you and shake your hand in greeting.
It has been some time since we shook anyone’s hand.
S-ap ‘ac t-ta:tc ia m-ñei.
We are happy to see you.
Hekihu amjeḍ ‘ac ‘ia m-ñenḍa.
We have been waiting for your arrival for some time.
Your journey is done you will now rest in our bodies.
Like other healers before you
you will be there when we need you.
The tale of your journey will be held in our collective stories.
We will retell it next year when we acknowledge the death anniversaries
of our relatives and friends and all those who tried to fight the enemy alone.
We will tell of the battles you fought on your journey
The battles against non-believers and conspiracy theorists.
You will be known as a hero, a slayer of enemies.
And like so many others before you
you will be known by many names.