Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings: Poems

Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings by Poet Laureate Joy Harjo is simply an incredible collection of work. It not only demonstrates why she is Poet Laureate, but raises the bar of standards for that honor.
He poems manage to be both highly personal cultural statements and, simultaneously, statements of universal application. Love, hate, loss, family, pain, sorrow, conflict, justice, injustice and all the rest of humanity’s emotions differ from the same experiences in other humans only due to the character of the people experiencing them. The passion I feel in lovemaking, for example, cannot be exactly the same of the passion you feel in lovemaking, yet ‘passion’ is universal.
In spite of how really universal Harjo’s work is, she show more manages to portray also a beautiful, vivid and often painful picture of being a Native American in her Navajo Diné. The lies, betrayals, deceit and continuing racism of the Caucasian population both formed and still imprison the Navajo Nation, the nations of other indigenous Americans and, of course, the individuals within those cultures and nations. And even well-intentioned efforts by less racist modern Americans miss the entire point: it is NOT what can be done for the Native Americans, not about reparations (measured, of course in dollars), not about apologies such as the insulting one adopted by Congress a few years ago. Nor is it about what we can do in consultation and partnership with Native Americans, but about something much more, something irreparable that caused and causes wounds so deep, so painful and so pervasive that they cannot be rectified in any way in any amount of time.
Harjo’s poetry captures all of this.
Aside from its strength of being universal, the poetry also excels in its lack of rancor, bitterness, cynicism or revenge, but at the same time, it also reveals distrust and depression, the impacts of the ongoing genocidal crime, cannot be escaped, probably ever.
This is great poetry, a true demonstration of exactly why people ought to read GOOD poetry and where they will discover poetry that they can come to love. show less

As always, Joy Harjo is a wizard with language. Her colloquial writing style is both easy to read and deeply profound. It's important to me that I seek out different perspectives, and I love to get a glimpse of Harjo's world. Her earth is beautiful and alive, she speaks to things that I had never considered to be alive. Poetry, to her, is a spirit, a guide. For so long, I've been trying to beat the poetry out of me, she is teaching me to let it be free.

Challenging, and worth the challenge. Poems full of both the grim realities of Native American history and current life and also of hope. Jazz, song, the natural world, the many forms of love,

while her poetry isn’t quite my cup of tea, joy harjo is an excellent and accomplished poet and this collection was sensible and wonderfully crafted. i especially liked ‘Report from the Edge of a Terrible Regime,’ ‘You Can Change the Story, My Spirit Said to Me as I Sat Near the Sea,’ and ‘Everybody Has a Heartache.’

Wow, this was really beautiful. It kind of blew my mind. I say "kind of" because I'm not usually a poetry person, but this collection...well, I don't really have the words. What a fantastic book.

Musical and magical, this little book of poetry is a comforting read, that addresses the ills of the US as well as the beauty of the earth and the joys of living.

I read it through in a gulp, and then restarted it from the beginning again the very next day. This is a beautiful, original book of poetry and a new favourite for me. I've now got her other books on hold at the library and can't wait to dig in.