Eagle Poem
BY JOY HARJO
To pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you.
And know there is more
That you can’t see, can’t hear;
Can’t know except in moments
Steadily growing, and in languages
That aren’t always sound but other
Circles of motion.
Like eagle that Sunday morning
Over Salt River. Circled in blue sky
In wind, swept our hearts clean
With sacred wings.
We see you, see ourselves and know
That we must take the utmost care
And kindness in all things.
Breathe in, knowing we are made of
All this, and breathe, knowing
We are truly blessed because we
Were born, and die soon within a
True circle of motion,
Like eagle rounding out the morning
Inside us.
We pray that it will be done
In beauty.
In beauty.
I haven’s shared poetry on here in a while, but eagle’s have been on my mind a lot lately. I found this poem on The Poetry Foundation‘s website. I appreciate that the author, Joy Harjo adds depth to people here. I posted on Facebook (not too long ago) about how important it is to understand that people are more complex than what we see. In this poem Harjo captures exactly that in this poem. Harjo starts with, “I pray you open your whole self.” This line shows her desire to see someone as a whole person. Then as the poem goes along she creates an image of the many ways you get see a person words moments wind are just few. I like this. I like her use of the eagle as a symbol, her clear desire, and how she reminds us the value of life because it doesn’t last forever. I’m interested to read more from Joy Harjo. I’m grateful for her contribution.
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