I think that O'odham speakers are acutely aware not only of mere words, but certainly of the rhythm and ordering of words even in some mundane acts of speech. My observations on O'odham song text has led me to believe that singers who dream the song text are gifted with the ability to transfer the most beautiful ideas into song language. The language then itself becomes a thing of beauty meant to please spiritual beings, worldly beings such as animals and of course humans. The we, being a small group of speakers who attempted to create poetry in O'odham. The event was the first poetry reading of contemporary O'odham and English poetry on the reservation.
Different writers read and talked about their work to a predominantly O'odham audience.
Afterward during a small reception the comments were quite positive. Some said our poems were a little bit like songs, but they were not sung, only spoken. The poetry reading was a very successful event. The experience was certainly positive for everyone involved. People went away with a new reference for written and oral language aesthetics.