A perfect Thanksgiving poem

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 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.

~ “Messenger” by Mary Oliver, from Thirst

And I do

Hell and Earth by Mary Oliver

“Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore unsuitable. I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds or hugging the old black oak tree. I have my way of praying, as you no doubt have yours. Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds, until the foxes run by unconcerned. I can hear the almost unhearable sound of the roses singing. If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love you very much.”

Priceless poetry

The words of a mystic

I want to be Mary Oliver’s intern

Because I can’t read her work without believing it comes straight from heaven.

#justthetruth

Where we are

Sunday mornings

Early, early mornings and cups of cocoa when those mornings are very cold and orange juice when they are not.

This morning, after working for some time on a business profile for a client, I visited some news sites and decided, 1-2-3, to give evenings over to news.

For the morning, I prefer poetry.

And, music.

It can, yes

Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood. — T.S. Eliot

There’s this, too, to get the new calendar off to a good start. Wonder words.