Reservation Love Song

“Sonnet 130: My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” by William Shakespeare (1609)

Similar to how Sherman Alexie satirizes the “love song” in “Reservation Love Song,” William Shakespeare pokes fun at the love sonnet in “Sonnet 130.” Both poems reject grandeur and favor the crude. Shakespeare’s speaker says their “mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” (Line 1). They compare her hair to “wires” (Line 4) and say that her breath “reeks” (Line 8). As with “Reservation Love Song,” “Sonnet 130” has an ironic, tongue-in-cheek tone that, by the end, turns sincere. In “Reservation Love Song,” the grandma brings true tenderness. By the end of the sonnet, the speaker admits their love for their mistress is “rare” (Line 13).

“The Day Lady Died” by Frank O’Hara (1964)

Scholars often cite Frank O’Hara as a solid early example of Postmodernism. Much of O’Hara’s poetry is playful, individualistic, and inclined to bring together the supposed highbrow and lowbrow aspects of culture. In “The Day Lady Died,” O’Hara references many people, places, and things, like the New York Post and the Ziegfeld Theatre. The references are also representative of Postmodernism as Postmodernists tend to focus on images and symbols and approach these symbols from a subjective standpoint.

In “Reservation Love Song,” Alexie's references aren’t those of O'Hara’s bohemian Manhattan but of Alexie's own Indigenous reality. Instead of strolling into the Park Lane Liquor Store, for instance, Alexie drives to Springdale to buy beer and then interacts with multiple government acronyms. Nonetheless, both works show how Postmodernists make use of information and data to critique objective meaning.

“Elegy for the Forgotten Oldsmobile” by Adrian C. Louis (1989)

Alexie credits this poem by Adrian C. Louis for pushing him to pursue poetry. In a 2013 interview with The Atlantic, Alexie discusses discovering this poem in a workshop at Washington State University. The line from that poem that stood out to him is, “Oh, Uncle Adrian, I’m in the reservation of mind” (Line 20). As in “Reservation Love Song,” Louis associates the reservation with pain and struggle. For both poets, it seems nearly impossible to escape the trauma and identity of reservation life. Both poems, however, maintain a sense of humor about the suffering and bridge the gap between high and low culture, with Louis referencing the chain convenience store 7-11 and the prestigious Ivy League school Brown University.

“How to Write the Great American Indian Novel” by Sherman Alexie (1996)

As in “Reservation Long Song,” Alexie turns to satire in “How to Write the Great American Indian Novel.” With irony and humor, Alexie exposes the toxic stereotypes and tropes about Indigenous people in American culture. His exaggerated perceptions and ultra-specific guidance spotlight the lackluster representation. “There must be one murder, one suicide, one attempted rape. / Alcohol should be consumed. Cars must be driven at high speeds” (Lines 23-24), says the speaker mockingly.