Geri deGruy's blog of art, musings, and inspiration

  Mary Oliver's poetry so touches me and helps me live.  Here's one I read this morning.  Wonderful!

                                                                     Messenger

                                                                                                by Mary Oliver

My work is loving the world.

Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird-

            equal seekers of sweetness.

Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.

Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?

Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me

            keep my mind on what matters,

which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be

            astonished.

The phoebe, the delphinium.

The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.

Which is mostly rejoicing, since all the ingredients are here,

which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart

            and these body-clothes,

a mouth with which to give shouts of joy

            to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,

telling them all, over and over, how it is

            that we live forever.