Directions To You Rainy Dawn Ortiz (Excerpt) by Joy Harjo

Follow them, stop, turn around
Go the other way.
Left, right,
Mine, yours.
We become lost,
Unsteady.
Take a deep breath,
Pray.
You will not always be lost.
You are right here,
In your time,
In your place.

Joy Harjo, named the U.S. Poet Laureate in 2019, is the first Native American to ever hold this prestigious designation. Her latest book of poetry, “An American Sunrise,” released in September 2019, is a deep, emotional collection of pain and self-discovery. It is a record of injustice and grief, however, it is filled with an inner strength of overcoming and persistence. I definitely recommend the collection to all my poetry-loving friends. Ms. Harjo brings both a sense of awareness to the plight of her people, and also expresses their indomitable spirit in spite of it.

This poignant poem, “Directions To You” closes with these lines:

To find,
To be found,
To be understood,
To be seen,
Heard, felt.
You are,
Breath.
You are,
Memory.
You are,
Touch.
You are,
Right here.

Poem by Joy Harjo, excerpts from “Directions To You.”

An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo is available for purchase on Amazon here.

Disclaimer: I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchase helps support my work shared here on my blog.