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A beautifully illustrated edition of Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s poem “Washing My Mother’s Body,” which offers a way through grief when the loss appears unbearable.
As I wash my mother’s face, I tell her
how beautiful she is, how brave, how her beauty and bravery
live on in her grandchildren. Her face is relaxed, peaceful.
Her earth memory body has not left yet,
but when I see her the next day, embalmed and in the casket
in the funeral home, it will be gone.
Where does it go?
Through lyrical prose and evocative watercolor illustrations by award-winning Muscogee artist Dana Tiger, Washing My Mother’s Body explores the complexity of a daughter’s grief as she reflects on the joys and sorrows of her mother’s life. She lays her mother to rest in the landscape of her memory, honoring the hands that raised her, the body that protected her, and the legs that carried her mother through adversity.
Moving, comforting, and deeply emotional, Washing My Mother’s Body is a tender look at mother-daughter relationships, the complexity of grieving the loss of a parent, and the enduring love of those left behind.
As I wash my mother’s face, I tell her
how beautiful she is, how brave, how her beauty and bravery
live on in her grandchildren. Her face is relaxed, peaceful.
Her earth memory body has not left yet,
but when I see her the next day, embalmed and in the casket
in the funeral home, it will be gone.
Where does it go?
Through lyrical prose and evocative watercolor illustrations by award-winning Muscogee artist Dana Tiger, Washing My Mother’s Body explores the complexity of a daughter’s grief as she reflects on the joys and sorrows of her mother’s life. She lays her mother to rest in the landscape of her memory, honoring the hands that raised her, the body that protected her, and the legs that carried her mother through adversity.
Moving, comforting, and deeply emotional, Washing My Mother’s Body is a tender look at mother-daughter relationships, the complexity of grieving the loss of a parent, and the enduring love of those left behind.
5 Reviews
4.5
Julie Jordan 129
Created 20 days agoShare
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“At first attempt to read/experience this title, I made it to the third paragraph in the introduction before I shut it, unable to go further.
It was the introductions that drew me back.
Stunning paintings by an artist I felt deeply connected to even though this was the first time I encountered her work.
This book/poem seems to open doors.
I was crying as I read and about to give up again when light shone through the clouds and into my
book, “Keep reading, Julie, you’ll be better for it,” seemed to come from my mother.
I kept reading.
It was beautiful. I felt understood. I felt valued.
All from a somewhat simple yet intensely unimaginable book length poem + painted illustrations.
Joy Harjo. Thank you.”
Barbara Johnson
Created 20 days agoShare
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oscarwildin_
Created about 2 months agoShare
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“Short and sweet — and heartbreaking.”
Gabs
Created 3 months agoShare
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“joy harjo will always be one of my favorite poets 🫶🏼 what a beautiful story this was”
Ace
Created 5 months agoShare
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“Disclaimer: I got an E-ARC of this book from NetGalley
Washing my mother’s body is a gorgeous coy of Joy Hajo’s poem. The poem itself is a beautiful way from Harjo to say goodbye to her mother whilst relaying her beautiful and good she was. The background art, that mixed with the words on the page, only enhanced my experience.”
About Joy Harjo
Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned poet, performer, and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation who has served three terms as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States. Harjo is the author of ten books of poetry, several plays, prose collections, and children's books, and two memoirs; she has also produced seven award-winning music albums and edited several anthologies. Her many honors include Yale's Bollingen Prize for American Poetry, the National Book Critics Circle Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, the Ruth Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Foundation, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and board of directors chair of the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she is the inaugural artist-in-residence for the Bob Dylan Center.
Dana Tiger is an award-winning internationally acclaimed artist. She is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and is of Seminole and Cherokee descent. Tiger is best known for her watercolors and acrylic paintings depicting the strength and determination of Native American women. Tiger is an inductee into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame and is the founder of Legacy Cultural Learning Community, a nonprofit that nurtures creativity in young Native Americans.
Dana Tiger is an award-winning internationally acclaimed artist. She is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and is of Seminole and Cherokee descent. Tiger is best known for her watercolors and acrylic paintings depicting the strength and determination of Native American women. Tiger is an inductee into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame and is the founder of Legacy Cultural Learning Community, a nonprofit that nurtures creativity in young Native Americans.
Other books by Joy Harjo
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