An American Sunrise: Poems

"The first Native American to be U.S. poet laureate, Joy Harjo recalls and laments the violence and displacement that have marked hundreds of years of Native American history: “The children were stolen from these beloved lands by the government. / … / … they were lined up to sleep alone in their army-issued cages.” It’s hard to imagine she does not also mean to call to mind the present horrors at the southern border. Her work is a stark reminder of what poetry is for and what it can do: hold contradictory truths in mind and keep us from forgetting."