What inspired joy harjo to start writing poems?

Joy Harjo was born and raised in Oklahoma in the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She was surrounded by the rich oral tradition of her people, and she began writing poetry at an early age. She started writing poems at the age of 5 after becoming enchanted by the sound and rhythm of the Creek language. She told interviewers that she felt a powerful draw towards the Creek music and rhythms and started imitating the sounds and words she enjoyed using them to make the words into poems.