Monday, November 2, 2009

Lovely Poem

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

I was extremely fortunate to have a wonderful teacher share this poem with me over the weekend. Even though it is not summer it holds meaning for all seasons. There is not much to say about this except that have learned a lot from this poem and the context in which it was given. I will always remember and refer to this poem in times when I know that changing the self is a necessary process. To be able to change ones perspective and admit ones faults seems extremely essential to me. I think this poem represents the frailty and ever changing life in and around us all. I love it and I'm sure it means different things to different people. For me it is a precious gift and a wonderful reminder.

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