My Father's Song

"My Father: A Tree" by Tina Chang (2020)

In this poem, the author longs for the father she never knew, seeing him in the nature around her and contemplating him through the memories of others. In contrast to Ortiz’s poem, Chang addresses the absence and presence of her father in her life, but like Ortiz, uses the natural world as a means for connecting with her lost parent.

"Prayer for Words" by N. Scott Momaday (2019)

Written by another significant figure of the Native American Renaissance, Momaday’s poem similarly addresses the importance of the voice, and the power of speech, particularly within his culture. Using bold, natural imagery, Momaday explores the question of identity and the disconnect between words and the inexpressible in nature and the self.

"A Dream on the Night of First Snow" by Robert Bly (1971)

Writing during the same era as Ortiz, Bly’s poetry provides some contrast in style and subject. However, the author similarly reflects on the beauty of nature, down to the smallest living creatures thriving under harsh conditions, while criticizing the arrogance of men in the face of nature’s vast beauty.