I am a member of the Muskogee people. I'm a poet, a musician, a dreamer of sorts, a questioner. Like everyone else, I'm looking for answers of some sort or the other.
Joy HarjoRead
I've been present at birth, and death is just as present and in equal balance. And I've been present at death, and birth is just as present, again in equal balance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the interconnectedness of life and death, suggesting both are integral and balanced parts of the human experience.
Joy Harjo's quote emphasizes the concept that life and death are intertwined aspects of existence. The speaker shares a profound realization gathered from witnessing both events, underscoring that both birth and death hold equal significance and promote a balance in the cycle of life. This perspective encourages us to appreciate both moments, as they are vital parts of our journey.
Themes
LifeDeathBalanceInterconnectednessExistence
In practice
Example use cases
During a memorial service, this quote could be shared to reflect on the balance between life and death.
More from Joy Harjo
All quotes →It's important as a writer to do my art well and do it in a way that is powerful and beautiful and meaningful, so that my work regenerates the people, certainly Indian people, and the earth and the sun. And in that way we all continue forever.
Joy HarjoRead
A story matrix connects all of us._x000D_ There are rules, processes, and circles of responsibility in this world. And the story begins exactly where it is supposed to begin. We cannot skip any part.
Joy HarjoRead
You just go where poetry is, whether it's in your heart or your mind or in books or in places where there's live poetry or recordings.
Joy HarjoRead
Bottom line, I have to follow what my soul says, or my spirit. And my spirit said that poetry and the arts should be without borders, should be without political borders.
Joy HarjoRead
I don't like this romanticization of Indian people in which Indian people are looked at as spiritual saviors, as people who have always taken care of the land. We're human beings. But I think different cultures have developed different aspects of humanness.
Joy HarjoRead
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