I was reading Langston Hughes' The Negro Speaks of Rivers, of how he drew inspiration from the history of his people.
I thought, could I do the same?
Who are my people? Aside from the Human Race, of course, and all Life..
My people are the people of California.
I could tell of the history of California, of John Muir's Range of Light, of the tragedy and rebirth of the Indians and their Civilization.
I could tell of my people arriving at New York Harbor, of travelling West in a wagon train.
And this came to me.
(I have also been getting into Mallarme, Rimbaud and T. S. Elliott, who I learned of because Rimbaud and T. S. Elliott are mentioned in Bob Dylan songs. God, I wish I could communicate like them! They are now my favorite writers.)