A Mary Oliver Poem For You

During times like these, when life doesn’t make sense, or fit into any logical, linear type of knowing, poetry can speak to our hearts and souls.

I’ve been taking my poetry books off the shelves, reading them, and allowing them to wash over me. Somehow, it seems to help.

Here’s a poem by Mary Oliver I opened to yesterday. I hope it might provide some solace.

Morning Poem

Every morning

the world

is created.

Under the orange

sticks of the sun

the heaped

ashes of the night

turn into leaves again

and fasten themselves to the high branches–

and the ponds appear

like black cloth

on which are painted islands

of summer lilies.

If it is your nature

to be happy

you will swim away along the soft trails

for hours, your imagination

alighting everywhere.

And if your spirit

carries within it

the thorn

that is heavier than lead–

if it’s all you can do

to keep on trudging–

there is still

somewhere deep within you

a beast shouting that the earth

is exactly what it wanted–

each pond with its blazing lilies

is a prayer heard and answered

lavishly,

every morning,

whether or not

you have ever dared to be happy,

whether or not

you have ever dared to pray.

–Mary Oliver