INTRODUCTION
Joy Harjo (1951- ) is a Native American poet born in Oklahoma and a member of the the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She has published several volumes of poetry, two memoirs, and various other types of text and art, including children’s books. Harjo served as US poet laureate from 2019 to 2022. Edward Hirsch closes his book, The Heart of American Poetry, with this poem by Harjo, written in 2004 and published in 2008. He writes that “Harjo’s project has been to find resourceful ways of reminding us that there is ground under our feet, that we are part of the land, and the land is part of us” (p. 439). In “Rabbit Is Up to Tricks,” Harjo uses parable and parallelism to convey an emotionally powerful narrative that is both American and personal.
Rabbit Is Up to Tricks
In a world long before this one, there was enough for
everyone,
Until somebody got out of line.
We heard it was Rabbit, fooling around with clay and the
wind.
Everybody was tired of his tricks and no one would play
with him;
He was lonely in this world.
So Rabbit thought to make a person.
And when he blew into the mouth of that crude figure to see
What would happen,
The clay man stood up.
Rabbit showed the clay man how to steal a chicken.
The clay man obeyed.
Then Rabbit showed him how to steal corn.
The clay man obeyed.
Then he showed him how to steal someone else’s wife.
The clay man obeyed.
Rabbit felt important and powerful.
The clay man felt important and powerful.
And once that clay man started he could not stop.
Once he took that chicken he wanted all the chickens.
And once he took that corn he wanted all the corn.
And once he took that wife, he wanted all the wives.
He was insatiable.
Then he had a taste of gold and he wanted all the gold.
Then it was land and anything else he saw.
His wanting only made him want more.
Soon it was countries, and then it was trade.
The wanting infected the earth.
We lost track of the purpose and reason for life.
We began to forget our songs. We forgot our stories.
We could no longer see or hear our ancestors,
Or talk with each other across the kitchen table.
Forests were being mowed down all over the world.
And Rabbit had no place to play.
Rabbit’s trick had backfired.
Rabbit tried to call the clay man back,
But when the clay man wouldn’t listen
Rabbit realized he’d made a clay man with no ears.