Today, I’m sharing a poem by the current United States Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo. I first encountered her work via a Native American Literature course in graduate school, and I’ve been enjoying her work since then.
The final prompt for Love Notes 31 [which ended last week] was “Don’t Forget to Remember,” and thinking of no way to respond to the prompt that was neither trite nor lengthy, I found myself drawn to Harjo’s poem, “Remember.”
May it provide a bit soul food for your Tuesday.
Remember
Joy Harjo
Remember the sky that you were born under,
know each of the star’s stories.
Remember the moon, know who she is.
Remember the sun’s birth at dawn, that is the
strongest point of time. Remember sundown
and the giving away to night.
Remember your birth, how your mother struggled
to give you form and breath. You are evidence of
her life, and her mother’s, and hers.
Remember your father. He is your life, also.
Remember the earth whose skin you are:
red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth
brown earth, we are earth.
Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their
tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them,
listen to them. They are alive poems.
Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the
origin of this universe.
Remember you are all people and all people
are you.
Remember you are this universe and this
universe is you.
Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you.
Remember language comes from this.
Remember the dance language is, that life is.
Remember.
About the image: The postcard above was sent to me by HannahsMommy07 on swap-bot for a “Postcards with a Prompt” swap. I have no information about the artist, but this postcard has been waiting to be shared for almost two years. Eek!
Pics and Posts 
Chandra, thank you for posting this wonderful poem by Joy Harjo . I was also delighted to see she is now Poet Laureate.
It was long since I fell for her poems and music. Have the C.D. ” Native Joy for Real” in front of me. Her songs are poems in song.
Miriam
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Thank you for enjoying the Harjo post. You know what’s on my list this evening? Finding some of her music. I knew she was also musician. I’d just never taken time to find her music. Thanks!
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Lovely. thank you for sharing Chandra 🙂
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A beautiful share
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I didn’t know she was the poet laureate. That’s wonderful–and must drive certain people nuts. Thanks for sharing this. It’s beautiful.
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Ha! You know. I’ve been so busy, but I haven’t heard about any drama surrounding her appointment. I was overjoyed when I first heard the news. Thanks for enjoying the poem and appreciating Harjo. 🙂
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I used to work for a writers organization in Minnesota–the Loft–which (fiction writer that I am) brought me into contact with a wider range of poets than I would otherwise have found. Many of them knocked my socks off.
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That’s wonderful! I’ve been trying to be a bit more intentional about my [creative] writing. I’ve been writing poetry regularly this month, but it’s been quite some time since I took a serious dive into fiction. Fiction requires my being able to go into a tunnel and ignore “all the things.” A poem will come and I can quickly jot it or at least the concept and return to it in the wee morning hours.
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Thank you for sharing this important message and beautiful post card.
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There is so much grace in knowing and reflecting on all God has done for us and in His creation. Thanks for sharing ma’am.
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And we must “remember” to do our part to take care of it. Taking care of the earth was among the first missions He gave us.
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