Wednesday, September 14, 2022

THE SUNFLOWERS ...

Come with me 

into the field of sunflowers.

Their faces are burnished disks,

Their dry spines

Creak like ship masts,

Their green leaves,

So heavy and many

Fill the day with the sticky

Sugars of the sun.

Come with me

To visit the sunflowers,

They are shy

But want to be friends;

They have wonderful stories

Of when they were young -

The important weather,

The wandering crows.

Don't be afraid

To ask them questions!

Their bright faces,

Which follow the sun

Will listen, and all

Those rows of seeds -

Each one a new life!

Hope for a deeper acquaintance.

Each of them, though it stands

In a crowd of many

Like a separate universe.

Is lonely, the long work

Of turning their lives

Into a celebration

Is not easy.  Come

And let us talk with those modest faces,

The simple garment of leaves,

The coarse roots in the earth

So uprightly burning.


The Sunflower by Mary Oliver










42 comments:

  1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! And your photos are a perfect pairing with it. I have one of her poetry books. But I don't think this one is in it. I will make a copy. She is so talented.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great! Thank you so much Ginny :) Very happy you enjoyed the photos and Mary's poem. She was very, very talented, one of my most favorite poets.

      Delete
  2. Lovely poem and beautiful sunflowers Denise.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sunflowers are nice to walk thru on a park trail. Ours in Texas have silver leaves that seem to accent their beauty against the blue sky.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, silver leaves? Now that must be an incredible sight. Thanks Anni :)

      Delete
  4. What beautiful photos along with Mary Oliver this morning. Thank you, Denise for sharing both of them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Martha Ellen and you are very welcome :)

      Delete
  5. I love Mary Oliver's poems. Pretty sunflowers, lovely photos. Take care, enjoy your day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Eileen, you take care and enjoy your day also :)

      Delete
  6. You always find the best poems to go with your pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  7. They're such a cheerful sight. The poem is wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  8. LOVE the poem! truly do! and your photos are AWESOME!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Replies
    1. Obrigado, fico muito feliz que tenha gostado :) Um abraƧo e continuaĆ§Ć£o de boa semana :)

      Delete
  10. Always a pleasure to see sunflowers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I totally agree Gigi. If I see them at the store I will treat myself to a bouquet.

      Delete
  11. Great description of the sunflower and the invitation to join the celebration of the sunflower.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sunflower pics and a poem by Mary Oliver, doesn't get much better than that.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The Sunflower by Mary Oliver and your beautiful photographs make a perfect post :)

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jan, much appreciated and all the best to you too :)

      Delete
  14. I love sunflowers. Your pictures are all wonderful. I passed a house the other day that had a whole bunch of sunflowers growing. They looked so pretty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are a beautiful flower aren't they Ann? :) That house must have been a lovely sight.

      Delete
  15. Aren't they the most magnificent flowers? I always love them, all the different strains.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you for sharing that lovely poem, D šŸŒ»

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Youa re very welcome Cloudia, glad you enjoyed :)

      Delete
  17. Oh isn't that poem wonderful. I love the brightness and cheer of sunflowers and I've thought about how amazing those geometric seed pods are ....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It certainly is Sallie :) and I agree with you totally.

      Delete

Thank you so for taking the time to leave a comment. I enjoy reading them very much and always try to return a visit. As I do monitor comments it may take a while for them to appear, even quite late depending on what is going on and how much time I am able to spend on the computer.

I appreciate all who look at my blog, but I won't be publishing any businesses. If you are only able to publish anonymously, would you sign your name please, and leave an addy so I can return your visit where possible? Thank you!