This Morning I Pray for My Enemies

Joy Harjo

18 pages 36-minute read

Joy Harjo

This Morning I Pray for My Enemies

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2015

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

The unnamed narrator of the poem begins a philosophical and physical journey, walking in the direction of the sun. Caught in a tension between emotional instincts and rational thoughts, they try to determine how to engage with those who oppose them. The speaker searches for a way to reconcile feelings of fury with the desire to offer blessings.

Key Relationships

Opponent of The Enemy

Guided by The Heart

Intellectual Center of The Mind

Guided by The Sun

Personified as a separate, active entity within the speaker, the heart acts as a wise mediator. It sees and knows everything, possessing the ability to hold both anger and blessing simultaneously. The poem positions the heart as the most responsible and reliable aspect of the speaker's life, capable of opening the door to the intellect.

Key Relationships

Emotional Center of The Speaker

Gatekeeper to The Mind

Smaller Cousin of The Sun

An abstract, unnamed antagonistic force or individual in the speaker's life. The enemy represents the target of the speaker's fury but also holds the potential for engagement. If an opponent is permitted to cross the threshold of the mind, they carry the inherent risk of transforming into a friend.

Key Relationships

Opponent of The Speaker

Supporting Characters

Personified as the intellectual and logical center of the speaker, the mind is described as furious and highly reactive. It operates like a locked room or fortress whose door must be carefully guarded. According to the poem's logic, this door should open exclusively from the inside out, guarded only by the heart.

Key Relationships

Intellectual Center of The Speaker

Subordinate to The Heart

A cosmic entity that functions as a source of light, introspection, and guidance. It acts as an unmoving, constant presence that serves as a literal and figurative destination as the speaker wrestles with internal conflict.

Key Relationships

Symbolic Destination for The Speaker

Larger Cousin of The Heart