Joy Harjo’s “Mourning Song” is a poem about a person who
is enduring loneliness and grief, as indicated in the following line: “Oh grief
rattling around in the bowl of my skeleton.” The narrator’s grief is so immense
that it has found the very place that supports her; that holds her up and
allows her to move. Without her skeleton, she couldn’t be anything, and now it
is stricken with such grief. Also, the fact that it is early evening means that
the narrator is finally allowed to show her anguish. The night is significant
because it is completely dark and no one can see her pain during the night. The
line, “I need to mourn with the night” is significant because night-time doesn’t
last forever. As soon as the sun begins to rise, everything is bright once
again, and just as the moon sets, her grief will set as well.
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