I know Thursday is not one of my typical days to post, but it's April, National Poetry Month, and several blogging friends are celebrating it again this year by sharing a poem every Thursday this month.
The theme for this week is "poems about wonder." The subject of wonder always makes me think of nature and how so much happens in the beautiful world around us. And when I think of nature and poetry, I think of Mary Oliver, so I turned to her for this week's selection.
The Other Kingdoms
Consider the other kingdoms. The
trees, for example, with their mellow-sounding
titles: oak, aspen, willow.
Or the snow, for which the peoples of the north
have dozens of words to describe its
different arrivals. Or the creatures, with their
thick fur, their shy and wordless gaze. Their
infallible sense of what their lives
are meant to be. Thus the world
grows rich, grows wild, and you too,
grow rich, grow sweetly wild, as you too
were born to be.
From The Truro Bear and Other Adventures, (c) Mary Oliver 2008
This is a stunning poem! You can always count on Mary Oliver to convey wonder and she certainly does it well in this short yet powerful poem. Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteThis is a poem full of wonder! Mary Oliver certainly brings the reader into her poem... I love that she considers "other kingdoms" ... something I feel very much when I am outside. Thank you so much for sharing this new-to-me Mary Oliver poem!
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect poem to begin National Poetry Month, Sarah. Like you, no poet says "wonder" to me quite like Mary Oliver. XO
ReplyDeleteThis is a poetry collection of Mary's I didn't know of. I'm hooked and must find this book. LOL
ReplyDeleteA new Mary Oliver poem to me as well! And, as I commented on Kym's post, no one does it or even comes close to doing it the way Mary Oliver did. What a magician with words! Thanks for sharing this one Sarah.
ReplyDeleteMary Oliver never disappoints. Thank you for sharing this poem.
ReplyDeleteI love this time of year and seeing everyone's blogs light up with poems! This Mary Oliver poem is new to me and oh, so lovely.
ReplyDeleteMary Oliver's poems are such a treasure. We are lucky she wrote and published so many poems.
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