Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Simon J. Ortiz’s "Forming Child" is a lyrical meditation on birth, inheritance, and the deep connection between place and identity. Structured as a series of intimate reflections, the poem speaks directly to an unborn child, weaving together personal memories, landscapes, and lessons in an effort to impart a sense of belonging and responsibility. Ortiz’s characteristic blending of natural imagery, familial history, and Indigenous ways of knowing creates a powerful and tender narrative of guidance, one that emphasizes both rootedness and continuity.

The poem begins with a striking image of movement in the womb: "O child's tremble against your mother's inner wall, is a true movement without waste or hesitation, a beating of wings following ancient trails to help us return." The trembling of the unborn child is likened to "a beating of wings," connecting it to migratory paths, ancestral journeys, and the larger cycles of life. This opening passage establishes a theme of return—not just in a physical sense, but in a spiritual and historical one. The unborn child is not entering the world as something entirely new, but as part of an ancient movement, a continuation of lineage and tradition.

In the second section, the speaker situates the child within the landscape: "I will point out your place on the earth, among mountains, on ground, by old watercourses, in wind, where your mother walked, where her mother walked." The repetition of "where your mother walked, where her mother walked" reinforces the generational continuity that defines identity. This knowledge is passed down not through books or abstractions but through the land itself, through the physical spaces where ancestors have lived and moved. The guiding voice of the speaker is firm yet gentle: "This way then, / This way, / I will show you those points where you will present yourself." The phrase "where you will present yourself" suggests a ceremonial understanding of existence—the child will not simply inhabit the world but will actively engage with it, recognizing and honoring the spaces that have shaped their family.

The third and fourth sections deepen the connection between place and experience. The speaker recalls standing at Black Mountain, observing "rain clouds forming in a space between the tip of the mountain and a point in the sky." This image of transformation in the landscape reflects the formation of the child itself—just as the clouds take shape, so too does the child, emerging within a delicate balance of elements. The next memory recalls a walk with the child’s brother "from Chee Goodluck's hogan in the Lukachukai Mountains to a place where water flowed from under huge granite boulders." The water is described as tasting "like the wind, roots, fresh herbs, sweet smells," reinforcing the way the natural world is not separate from the body but deeply intertwined with it. The speaker does not merely recall these places; he tastes them, feels them, making them tangible for the child who will one day walk these same paths.

The poem continues with descriptions of high elevations, snowmelt, and the hands of the child's mother: "Among the things I would require of you is that you should relish the good wheat bread your mother makes, taking care that you should think how her hands move, kneading the dough, shaping it with her concern, / and how you were formed and grew in her." This passage is one of the most intimate moments in the poem, linking the physical act of making bread with the act of forming a child. The emphasis on "her concern" suggests that creation—whether of food or life—is an act of love and care. The speaker wants the child not just to eat the bread but to understand the labor and tenderness that went into making it, much like their own existence.

In the seventh section, the speaker shares a moment of aesthetic contemplation: "Near the Summit, se of Kinlichee, I saw a piece of snowmelt water that I thought would look good on a silver bracelet with maybe two small turquoise stones at its sides; but then, I liked the way it was, too, under pine trees, the snow feeding it, the evening sunlight slanting off it, and I knew that you would understand why I decided to leave it like that." This passage carries a quiet lesson in respect and restraint. The desire to take something beautiful and transform it into jewelry is contrasted with the realization that it is already perfect as it is. The speaker’s decision to leave it like that is an act of reverence for nature, one that he trusts the child will come to understand.

The final section shifts in tone, with the humorous but cautionary words of Raho: "If anyone starts a fire, Smokey the Bear will come." This abrupt shift, introducing a well-known cultural figure associated with forest preservation, serves as both a lighthearted moment and a reminder of responsibility. It subtly reinforces the theme of stewardship—the child, like all who come before, will inherit not only the land but also the duty to protect it.

Ortiz’s use of free verse allows the poem to unfold naturally, mirroring the organic way that knowledge is passed down in oral traditions. The structure—divided into numbered sections—creates a sense of progression, as if the speaker is marking steps in the child’s journey toward understanding. The language is both deeply personal and universal, rooted in specific landscapes but carrying wisdom that applies broadly to any act of belonging.

"Forming Child" is ultimately a poem about inheritance—not in a material sense, but in the form of place, history, and awareness. The speaker offers the child a map, not of roads or borders, but of meaning—a way to navigate life through respect for the land, through connection to family, through an understanding that their existence is part of something much larger. It is a deeply loving act of guidance, ensuring that the child will not simply grow up, but arrive—fully aware, fully present, ready to walk the paths of those who came before.

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