Lately I’ve been reading more of Mary Oliver’s poems. She is one of my favorites in the way that she touches the simple of the natural world, which includes the natural world of the human spirit, through words and images. These particular readings come from the publication, A Thousand Mornings, named above.
Here are some that have meant the most to me:
Her quoting of Bob Dylan,
“Anything worth thinking about is worth singing about.”
Her poem, Three Things to Remember
As long as you’re dancing, you can break the rules.
Sometimes breaking the rules is just extending the rules.
Sometimes there are no rules.
This gem on stillness, called Today
Today I’m flying low and I’m
not saying a word.
I’m letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep.
The world goes on as it must,
the bees in the garden rumbling a little,
the fish leaping, the gnats getting eaten.
And so forth.
But I’m taking the day off.
Quiet as a feather.
I hardly move though really I’m traveling
a terrific distance.
Stillness. One of the doors
into the temple.
And this last one, on the beauty of questions, from The Man Who Has Many Answers.
The man who has many answers
is often found
in the theaters of information
where he offers, graciously,
his deep findings.
While the man who has only questions,
to comfort himself, makes music.
This publication itself is beautiful. A book that feels good to hold and share.
