Line 1

The first line of "Anniversary" asks a question that the remainder of the poem answers. The last word, "this," refers to what is about to be described. Notice that the speaker—Harjo herself, it is safe to assume—does not imply that she can explain how the world began nor why, but only what it was like as it developed.

Lines 2-3

These lines contain description that serves both as pure poetics and as an allusion to scientific theory. Harjo describes the origin of the universe as "A little flame illuminating a rough sea." This is not only poetical, but also refers to the big bang theory, which contends that all the matter and energy in the universe today was once condensed in an extremely small, infinitely hot mass. Line 3, which is just as poetic when read as is, is also an allusion to this theory. When...