“REMEMBER” by 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.
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Food for Thought—
- How does Joy Harjo weave personal elements into her poetry? Do you recognize any connections to her memoir, Crazy Brave?
- What is Harjo asking the reader to remember?
- Where does Harjo incorporate examples of figurative language, and what effect do they have on the reader?
- Harjo often writes about the miracle of birth and the events that surround it. In what ways does childbirth have a special significance in her Native-American culture, and how else does she use these elements to tell a story for the reader?
- Harjo, not only in her memoirs but in her poetry, relies heavily on references to the environment and nature to express herself and to pose questions to her readers. What is the effect of these comparisons?