"On the Stairs" by Joy Harjo
I like to think that this poet is familiar with Taylor's work because of the mention of "midnight rounds the dark of eternity." I'm taking it as a reference to the Midnights album, and I think the poem could refer to "Dear Reader" or "You're on Your Own, Kid".
In "Dear Reader," she's singing to someone, giving advice, but in "You're on Your Own, Kid" she's reflecting on her own past experiences, which parallels with the narration in the poem.
Harjo's poem really does justice to Taylor and her work, I think. I love that time moves throughout the poem, "I am eighteen, thirteen. I am forty, or beyond the count." This really sums up how Taylor writes and why so many women can relate to her songs - they're timeless in a way because the listener has felt the emotions she writes about or is still currently feeling them, no matter how old they are. Her understanding of all the intricate emotions tied to experiences make her work universal. And I love that Harjo recognized that and celebrated it.
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