When loneliness comes stalking, go into the fields, considerthe orderliness of the world. Notice
something you have never noticed before,
like the tambourine sound of the snow-cricket
whose pale green body is no longer than your thumb.
Stare hard at the hummingbird, in the summer rain,
shaking the water-sparks from its wings.
Let grief be your sister, she will whether or not.
Rise up from the stump of sorrow, and be green also,
like the diligent leaves.
A lifetime isn't long enough for the beauty of this world
and the responsibilities of your life.
Scatter your flowers over the graves, and walk away.
Be good-natured and untidy in your exuberance.
In the glare of your mind, be modest.
And beholden to what is tactile, and thrilling.
Live with the beetle, and the wind.
Mary Oliver
(excerpt from Flare, The Leaf and the Cloud)
something you have never noticed before,
like the tambourine sound of the snow-cricket
whose pale green body is no longer than your thumb.
Stare hard at the hummingbird, in the summer rain,
shaking the water-sparks from its wings.
Let grief be your sister, she will whether or not.
Rise up from the stump of sorrow, and be green also,
like the diligent leaves.
A lifetime isn't long enough for the beauty of this world
and the responsibilities of your life.
Scatter your flowers over the graves, and walk away.
Be good-natured and untidy in your exuberance.
In the glare of your mind, be modest.
And beholden to what is tactile, and thrilling.
Live with the beetle, and the wind.
Mary Oliver
(excerpt from Flare, The Leaf and the Cloud)
4 comments:
love, love, lovely!
I visit you daily to enjoy the quiet I feel when I leave. Your writing, photos, and graphics are all inspiring. Thank you.
"Be good-natured and untidy in your exuberance." I think one might almost live by that one line alone. It would serve to balance what is not quite right with me, anyway.
"A lifetime isn't long enough for the beauty of this world
and the responsibilities of your life." Goddess Cate, this is so freaking true!! I try so hard to keep this in mind when I feel suffocated by my own responsibilities...thank you!
Lil
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