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A musical, magical, resilient volume from the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States In these poems, the joys and struggles of the everyday are played against the grinding politics of being human. Beginning in a hotel room in the dark of a distant city, we travel through history and follow the memory of the Trail of Tears from the bend in the Tallapoosa River to a place near the Arkansas River. Stomp dance songs, blues, and jazz ballads echo throughout. Lost ancestors are recalled. Resilient songs are born, even as they grieve the loss of their country. Called a "magician and a master" (San Francisco Chronicle), Joy Harjo is at the top of her form in Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings. Conclict Resolution for Holy BeingsBlessII amOne - How it Cmae to BeOne - How it Came to Besub- I...For Calling the Spirit Back from Wandering the Earth in Its Human Feetsub- Rabbit Is Up to Trickssub- Nosub- Once the World Was Perfectsub- Cricket Songsub- Entering the Principality of O'ahu by Sky Roadssub- We Were There When Jazz Was Inventedsub- Reality Show (song)sub- Beautiful Baby, Beautiful Child (a lullaby)Part Two - The Wanderersub- Talking with the Sunsub- Spirit Walking in the Tundrasub- Mother Fieldsub- Walksub- Charlie and the Babysub- Had-It-Up-To-Here Round Dance (for two voices) with Charlie Hillsub- One Day There Will Be Horses (a traveling song)sub- Goin' Home (song)sub- The First Day Without a MotherPart Three - Visions and Monsterssub- In Mysticsub- Listening to Blues in a Fish Joint, Downtown Denversub- Falling, Falling (song)sub- Indian School Night Song Bluessub- Suicide Watchsub-This Morning I Pray for My Enemiessub- Conflict Resolution for Holy Beingssub- Forever (a song)sub- I Am Not Ready to Die Yetsub- Report from the Edge of a Terrible Regimesub-From DFW Airport at Dawnsub- The Last World of Fire and Trash (song)sub- Part Four - The Worldsub- You Can Change the Story, My Spirit Said to Me as I sat Near the Seasub- Sunrise Healing Songsub- It's Rainging in Honolulusub- Praise the Rainsub- Rushing the Palisub- Surfing Canoessub- Speaking Treesub- Everybody Has a Heartache (a blues)sub- For a Girl Becomingsub- Fall Songsub- For Keepssub- Equinoxsub- Sunrise "When Harjo confronts tragedy, she becomes our conscience." "This is not merely a book of poetry. These are instructions for the soul, a song to lead the reader home…[Harjo is] the first lady of American Indian poetry." "Joy Harjo…brings to life many of the stories, songs, and traditions of her Muscogee and Cherokee ancestors…Her reading is clear and clearly impassioned, expressing the considerable emotional depth of the poetry and commentary. The title poem is a particular treasure, and Harjo shows in this collection why she is a worthy choice as our current poet laureate. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award." "[Harjo's] poetry is light and elixir, the very best prescription for us in wounded times." "Harjo masterfully helps us travel through landscape and it's hard not to feel such loss but also a glimmer of hope as these poems brace against what it means to listen to the land and to each other." "Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings is a marvelous instrument that veins through a dark lode of American history. The poet's finely tuned voice goes where 'Midnight is a horn player,' driven by tribute, prayer, and blues, excavating names, places, and dreams. And at the end of this epic voyage, the reader surfaces at sunrise."

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