She Had Some Horses
Poems
A new edition of the beloved volume by Joy Harjo, one of our foremost Native American poets.
First published in 1983 and now considered a classic, She Had Some Horses is a powerful exploration of womanhood's most intimate moments. Joy Harjo's words speak of women's despair, of their imprisonment and ruin at the hands of men and society, but also of their awakenings, power, and love.
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Should I dream you afraid so that you are forced
to save yourself?
Or should you ride colored horses into the cutting
edge of the sky
to know that we're alive
we are alive.
“She Had Some Horses is a literary event of importance. The poetry here is of mythic and timeless character, native and lyrical in its expression, profound in its reflection of a worldview that is at once precise and comprehensive. There is much of the oral tradition here, much that is worthy of our closest attention and deepest respect.”
—N. Scott Momaday, author of House Made of Dawn and In the Bear's House
