Art Brew gave himself a literary prize,
a commemorative silver dollar showing Drouillard,
the sign-talker with Lewis and Clark, whose Indian name
was Followed by Buzzards, pointing to the lugwah.
From la gloire. The lugwah was over that mountain yonder.
Ha ha, the Pacific Ocean was always over than mountain yonder. All Drouillard
had to do was point where the sun was setting. And keep crossing mountains.
Malcolm Lowry called a series of books The Voyage That Never Ends.
Once you get there, you have to turn around and come back. Then, all Drouillard
had to do was point to the east, or follow their own footsteps back. Just go back
the way they came, only in reverse.
Old Folks had reached the point where
he had lived more years than he had left to live. But he had probably written more
books than he had left to write, too.
He couldn't retrace his steps and write
250 more.
Glory is a foolish, elusive thing to seek. The way back home is
more important.
When Brew gave himself the Lugwah Prize he was making fun
of himself.
Still, he kept the silver dollar in his pocket.
It reminded
him of what his goals were.
To get at, and witness to, the truth of who he
was, through daily typewriting.