Reciprocal Relationships

Throughout the poem, the speaker encourages readers to engage in reciprocal relationships with all manner of other beings. Reciprocity means to give, feel, or do in return, and so relationships built on the foundation of reciprocity involve mutual respect and support. The first specific example of a reciprocal relationship is given in the fourth and fifth stanzas when the speaker instructs the reader to “Take a breath offered by friendly winds” and later to “Give it back with gratitude” (5 and 7). Here, the speaker evokes the simple act of breathing as a way to actively engage with other beings in the world. Doing so with “gratitude” means being attentive to and thankful towards all the forces that allow for breathing to occur.

Harjo personifies various natural forces in the poem, including the wind and stars. Their active presence enables reciprocal relationships to occur. When the speaker...