Joy Harjo, the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States and a proud member of the Mvskoke (Creek) Nation, weaves a lyrical bridge between the natural world and human consciousness. Her poetry speaks to the earth, sky, animals, and ancestors with reverence and urgency. Nature, for Harjo, is not a backdrop but a living being—teacher, relative, memory, and spirit.
In this article, we explore ten powerful poems by Joy Harjo that explore nature in its many forms. These works span her prolific career and showcase her poetic mastery, spiritual depth, and environmental insight.
10 Nature Poems by Joy Harjo That Honor the Land and Spirit
1. “Eagle Poem”
“Eagle Poem” opens with an invocation. It calls for readers to become one with the world around them:
“To pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you.”
In these lines, nature is not separate from the speaker but part of a shared voice. The eagle becomes a spiritual figure, soaring above yet grounding the reader in the rituals of daily life. Harjo emphasizes the sacredness of the earth and the necessity of gratitude. The entire poem is a kind of chant, meant to unify the self with the universe.
2. “Remember”
“Remember” is one of Harjo’s most celebrated poems. It functions as a poetic instruction for reconnecting with the world:
“Remember the sky that you were born under,
Know each of the star’s stories.
Remember the moon, know who she is.”
With the repetition of “remember,” Harjo encourages the reader to reflect on their place in the cosmos. The stars, moon, and even wind are not distant phenomena—they are part of a shared ancestry. Nature is not “other.” It is kin.
The poem suggests that forgetting nature is a kind of spiritual amnesia. Through remembering, we awaken to ourselves.
3. “Don’t Bother the Earth Spirit”
This brief yet haunting poem delivers a warning:
“Don’t bother the Earth Spirit
who lives here.
She is working on a story.”
These simple lines capture a central theme in Harjo’s work: the idea that the earth is alive and has agency. The Earth Spirit is depicted as a creative force, weaving stories, shaping life. To interrupt her is to disrespect the sacred rhythm of the world. In a few short lines, Harjo reminds us of our responsibility to tread gently.
4. “Ah, Ah”
In “Ah, Ah,” Harjo uses the poetic refrain “Ah, Ah” to mimic a chant or breath—an intimate interaction with the land and its rhythms:
“The water is talking to us
in its own language.”
She listens closely to the voices of the natural world: birds, trees, water. This poem emphasizes communication—not just between humans, but with all living things. The elements have their own dialects, and it is the poet’s duty to interpret them.
Harjo’s tone is reverent and musical, revealing how nature sings to those who are willing to listen.
5. “An American Sunrise”
While this poem deals deeply with themes of history and loss, the natural world plays a significant role:
“We were running out of breath, as we ran to meet ourselves.
We were surfacing the edge of our ancestors’ fights, and ready to strike.”
“An American Sunrise” recounts the forced removals of Indigenous people and their disconnection from the land. Yet, the poem is filled with imagery of the sunrise, of breath, of movement through nature.
The natural world becomes both witness and companion in the struggle for justice. It reminds the reader that land is not just territory—it is history and healing.
6. “Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings”
This poem is a modern psalm, a mix of spirituality, humor, and resistance. Among its lessons are warnings about how we treat the earth:
“Do not feed the monsters.
Some are your children.
Do not feed them.
You will have to fight them later.”
Harjo writes with wisdom about environmental destruction, suggesting that our modern creations—pollution, war, greed—are monsters of our own making. Nature responds accordingly. To live in harmony, we must unlearn harmful behaviors and return to a balanced relationship with the earth.
7. “Eat”
“Eat” uses everyday imagery to show the complex dance of consumption in the natural world:
“Grasshoppers devour the sunflowers
Petal by petal to raggedy yellow flags—”
The poem depicts the cycle of eating not as mere survival, but as ceremony. From bugs to birds, from gardens to humans, all must feed. But Harjo’s tone warns against overconsumption or taking without gratitude.
“Eat” also speaks to cultural memory—what it means to consume ethically, to acknowledge the hands that fed us, and the earth that bore our food.
8. “I Am a Prayer”
This spiritual and imagistic poem envisions the self as made of natural and celestial materials:
“I am a prayer of the moon,
the wind, the stars, the sea.”
The speaker is not separate from the universe but a direct reflection of it. Harjo asserts that prayer is not confined to words—it can be a presence, a movement, a sound, a tree bending in the wind.
This poem invites the reader to consider their own body and spirit as sacred and elemental, capable of honoring the earth simply by existing in mindfulness.
9. “For Keeps”
“For Keeps” is a meditation on permanence, joy, and unity:
“We know ourselves to be part of mystery.
It is unspeakable.
It is everlasting.
It is for keeps.”
This poem reflects the eternity of natural bonds—those we hold with the land and with each other. The “mystery” of nature is not meant to be solved but embraced. Love, for Harjo, is an extension of the natural order, deep and sustaining.
The poem reminds us that when we live with respect, we create something enduring. That love, like the trees and rivers, outlasts speech and time.
10. “Once the World Was Perfect”
This poem reads like a creation story. It begins:
“Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world.”
The poem moves from paradise to disillusionment and then to hope. The fall from perfection is caused not by nature, but by human failings—jealousy, fear, and forgetting. Yet even in the darkness, the poem holds light:
“Then one of the stumbling ones took power
and gave birth to fear,
which gave birth to war,
which gave birth to God
who gave birth to lies
which gave birth to amnesia.”
Eventually, those who had forgotten how to live in balance remember again. They listen to nature and begin to heal. Harjo’s message is clear: we must return to the land, to love, and to our original teachings.
Conclusion
Joy Harjo’s poetry offers more than lyrical beauty. It offers a blueprint for living. Her words carry the wisdom of her ancestors and the cries of her homeland. Through her poems, we learn that nature is not an object to control—it is a relative to honor.
Each poem we explored reveals a layer of Harjo’s worldview. Nature is a mirror, a home, a spirit, a song. By walking gently, remembering our roots, and listening deeply, we can return to a world that is once again perfect—or as close to it as our hearts will allow.
