A Summer Day by Mary Oliver
Who made the world?
Who made the swan…
and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
The 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 have probably shared this before, but Mary's poems are always worth repeating. I enjoy reading them over and over again, and I hope you will enjoy this one, even if you have read it before.
Thanks for always visiting. It is a source of great enjoyment reading all your comments.
A big thank you to my blogging friends who have been following my posts for many years, wow! You have my never-ending appreciation.
My newer blogging friends, you too. You are very much appreciated and it’s lovely getting to know you. I look forward to a long friendship.
Those who come and go I consider a gift.
Look-see-drop-ins are also welcome.
If you have a good heart, everyone is welcome here.
A little too syrupy for some? No apologies, that’s who I am and how I was brought up. My emotional nature is cast in stone.
I had better finish now. I have had many years to hone my typing skills. My fingers aren’t quite as fast as they used to be, but I can still go pretty darned fast and when my brain is working, type as fast as I think. There may be a few misplaced letters here and there. I try to edit thoroughly but some slip through. I often find them after I have published a post and go back or even add something more that I forgot about originally. Enough of the blathering! Take good care of yourselves.
And on that note, I wish you all a wonderful Sunday!
And thank you Mary for a really beautiful poem. What a wonder you were/are!
Thank you; her poem is wonderful!! I especially love the last two lines. And you chose great photos to go with it!
ReplyDeleteThank you Ginny, not only a favorite author but also this is a favorite poem :)
DeleteThanks for this beautiful, touching poem by Mary, complete with pictures, dear Denise.
ReplyDeleteIt’s only human to make a mistake now and then—it happens to me too!
I’m so glad to know you, too!
Have a lovely Sunday. Hugs, Elke.
My pleasure Elke, so glad to know you Elke :) I hope your Sunday was lovely. I am late getting here but I was a little behind even before our glitch with the comments happened. Hope your weekend was a lovely one and that your week is going well :) Hugs, Denise
DeleteLove Mary Oliver! I didn't know this poem though. Thank you, Denise, for sharing it, and you too have a fantastic Sunday!
ReplyDeleteShe has a wonderful way with words doesn't she Angie? :) It is my pleasure to share her poetry. I hope your Sunday was an excellent one. Here I am on Tuesday, still trying to catch up. Happy day to you!
DeleteHello Denise
ReplyDeleteI love the poem by Mary Oliver. The photos fit perfectly too.
Happy Sunday! Have a great day and a happy new week!
Happy you enjoyed Eileen, and thank you very much. I hope your Sunday was a great one and that your week is going well :)
DeleteWe were just mentioning Mary the other day on a walk.
ReplyDeleteI both think and type slowly and badly in the latter case.
How nice John, that we all mention her still. She left a wonderful legacy. Ah well, my typing hasn't been quite so fast today. I am having one of those draggy days :)
DeleteLovely post Denise. Nice poem.
ReplyDeleteThank you Margaret, so glad you enjoyed Mary's poem :)
DeleteNot only is the poem wonderful but the pictures you chose to go with it are perfect. I love the picture of the bear.
ReplyDeleteI do pretty good typing and am usually pretty good at catching the typos as well. That is unless I"m typing on a phone or an iPad. Then I make a lot of typos.
Thank you so much Ann, I am happy to have enough photos in my archives, that I can dip into them for the appropriate post. Happy you enjoyed Mary's poem too. Yes I agree, the rules change when we are on our phone or iPad. Total different story there :)
DeleteThis Mary Oliver work is sheer perfection and you have married the pictures with it beautifully, Denise.
ReplyDeleteIt is, she was perfection! I'm happy you thought my photos fitted well David, thank you :)
DeleteBeautiful poem
ReplyDeleteThank you Christine :)
DeleteYou are like a beautiful poem yourself. I always enjoy visiting you.
ReplyDeleteI think that's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said about me. You are so sweet Carol, thank you very much :)
DeleteDid you see the Mary Oliver bio documentary on PBS American Masters last week? It was lovely and so many of her perfect poems. I love this one.
ReplyDeleteI did Jeanie, and was profoundly moved by it in parts. I owe Ginny a big thank you for telling me about it. I learned that she was a very, very private person and understood why. She wrote from the heart, all her poems were a treasure.
DeleteMary Oliver is a wonderful poet, and I love how you illustrated the poem. You can't go wrong with a few insect photos, can you? Happy Sunday!
ReplyDeleteShe certain is and thank you, I am so pleased you enjoyed my additions. I'm a big believer in insects Erika and wonder what on earth we would do without them. I always enjoy seeing your hive photos with their industrious little workers. Always so interesting!
DeleteWhat a perfect Sunday morning post
ReplyDeleteHugs
Cecilia
Makes me happy you think so Cecilia, a big thank you from me :) Hugs, Denise
DeleteI appreciate your emotional nature and Mary Oliver’s poem.
ReplyDeleteThat's sweet of you to say Sandra, thank you :) Dear Mary Oliver, she could write a poem from the heart couldn't she?
DeleteYour choice today to share Mary Oliver's poem (one of my favorites) while adding photos to it...thank you so much. It's always an added bonus to find what a blogger is thinking and feeling, in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteIt is my pleasure Barbara, I am happy to share and I am happy you enjoyed. Kind and very sweet of you to say that, sometimes I think I overshare, lol! But that's me I guess. Thank you so much, I feel better about myself now :)
DeleteI love that you pour out your heart on your blog. I think we are very much alike and I love spending time here....with you! Enjoy your beautiful day my friend! Hugs, Diane
ReplyDeleteDiane, you are so kind! I guess I was having one of those pour-out-my-heart days :) I'm happy you think we are very much alike and you make me feel so good about what I share. Some days seem good to me, others maybe not so much. I certainly love visiting you down in Florida. My memories of road trips that way, are at the top of my list, as attested to from what I see on your blog. Your birdlife/wildlife/scenic photos are amazing, and l look forward to visiting you too :) Thanks again my friend, Hugs, Denise
DeleteThank you for sharing Mary's beautiful poem and all the wonderful photos.
ReplyDeleteI love to visit friends on their blogs and read see and be invited to share a little bit of their lives. Everyone of them is different and everyone special. Thank you to everyone who makes my life a little brighter or makes me feel something by what you write x
You are very welcome Beverley, I am happy you enjoyed. You and I think alike with regards to our blogging family, and you are one of them my friend. Happy September!
DeleteThank you for this poem today. And thank you for your sweet thoughts! You are much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome Granny Sue, sometimes those thoughts just start flowing and can’t say enough how much I appreciate you too :)
DeleteI am not sure who Mary is, but it was a wonderful and true poem!
ReplyDeleteHi Sandie, glad you enjoyed Mary’s poem. Hope all is well with you :)
DeleteThank you, Denise, we are having a lovely Sunday. Home from church and this week's encouragement from God's Word and now we will have a restful day. Happy day to you.
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome Ellen and that is wonderful. Happy day to you too :)
DeleteDear Denise,
ReplyDeleteI can understand why you return to this poem again and again. What touches me most is that Mary Oliver finds something so profound in something as simple as paying attention. Watching a grasshopper, walking through a field, allowing ourselves to be still and truly notice the world around us can perhaps be a kind of prayer in itself.
And then comes that final question about our one wild and precious life. No matter how often we read it, I don't think it ever becomes an ordinary question.
I also smiled at what you wrote about being emotional and making no apology for it. Please don't. A warm heart is nothing to apologize for, and perhaps that is one of the reasons people have enjoyed coming back to your blog for so many years.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful poem and a little of yourself along with it. I hope your Sunday is a lovely one.
Warm greetings from Germany,
Anette
Dear Anette, thank you for your lovely comment and I am very happy you enjoyed Mary’s poem. She has a way of explaining life in nature that I truly enjoy and you interpreted her words beautifully. It is my great pleasure to share her poetry :) I appreciated your kind words very much. It is one of the many reasons I consider you all my blogging family, meeting new friends like yourself. I am very happy we met here dear Anette. I also send you warm greetings from Virginia :) Denise
DeleteExcellent blog and thanks for the visit and kind comment. Cheers Diane
ReplyDeleteHello Diane, I always enjoy visiting you. Thanks very much for stopping by here too and cheers! Denise :)
Deletewhat a lovely poem denise. i love it here...your words and all your images. nice critters today...i hope you and greg are having a wonderful sunday!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Debbie, always a pleasure to share Mary’s poetry and the accompanying photos :) We had a lovely Sunday thank you. I hope you and hubby did too :)
DeleteThat's a great poem.
ReplyDeleteHappy you enjoyed Mary, thank you :)
Delete"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
ReplyDeletewith your one wild and precious life?"
I ask myself this each day.
Those two lines are my favorite, and I ask myself the same question :)
DeleteBellas imágenes. Buena semana. Te mando un beso.
ReplyDeleteMuchas gracias y te deseo también una buena semana :) Te mando un beso.
Deletethink you express what many people would think about blogging.
ReplyDeleteThank you Red, I am happy you think so :)
DeleteHer words float like the grasshopper she describes -- light, fleeting, yet unforgettable. Thank you for reminding us to pause and cherish life’s precious moments.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully put Veronica :) and it is my pleasure. Thank you!
DeleteI think you know the important things in life
ReplyDeleteI hope so my friend, it’s an ongoing process :)
DeleteI always enjoy your posts. Love this poem too. I don't mind you blathering on.
ReplyDeleteSweet of you to say Diane, thank you :)
DeleteThat is a lovely poem, and the pictures are wonderful as well. Did you take them? The detail on the grasshopper is amazing.
ReplyDeleteHappy you enjoyed it Sandra :) The cricket photos I found online and I agree about the detail :)
Delete