Alberto Álvaro Ríos is the author of numerous poetry collections, including A Small Story about the Sky; three short story collections; and a memoir, Capirotada, which received the Latino Literary Hall of Fame Award. He is the recipient of a Walt Whitman Award, as well as six Pushcart Prizes in poetry and fiction. His poetry collection The Theater of Night won the 2007 PEN/ Beyond Margins Award. Ríos is Regents’ Professor at Arizona State University.

When Giving Is All We Have

by Alberto Álvaro Ríos
One river gives
Its journey to the next.

We give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.

We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.
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