A recent email from “The Writer’s Almanac” reminded me that Sept. 10 was the birthday of poet Mary Oliver, whose work I have long admired.
Oliver was born in Ohio but lived many years in New England. Her well-known poems “Wild Geese” and “The Journey” are rooted in images of the natural world and speak about discovering – or reclaiming – a life path.
Oliver’s poetry elevates everyday experiences into life lessons.
For example, in “Invitation,” she writes “Oh do you have time to linger for just a little while out of your busy and important day.” Some goldfinches have gathered in song, she explains, “…for sheer delight and gratitude – believe us, they say, it is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in the broken world.”
As we sit in the shadow of Hurricane Ida and the unrelenting storm that is the pandemic, the world seems more broken than perhaps ever before. But Oliver, in “The Summer Day,” urges optimism anyway:
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Thank you for writing this and posting Oliver’s poem. Recently I was gifted the opportunity to cross a busy street when a left-turning car stopped oncoming traffic (it is state law in NH to allow pedestrians the right of way in crosswalks, but there was no crosswalk). I blessed and thanked the woman as she passed, noting her license plate was GODSPD, and wrote of it on NextDoor in a post entitled, “A Message of Gratitude.” There were a few positive responses, but the majority were mean-spirited screeds, a referendum of complaints about pedestrians. These assaulted my sense of innocence, my wanting to make the world a better place by sharing something good. I know what happened was pure sweetness, and I’d hoped someone would recognize that license plate and let the woman know what her kindness meant to me. I lament the bitterness in so many people.
Haters gonna hate. Makes us even more determined to appreciate those moments of gratitude!
Liz,
I’m a UCBR member & it was at a service when I first read a Mary Oliver poem. I fell in love with her poetry. It was a hot, humid summer day & her poem moved me to embrace that day.
I first discovered Oliver’s work through a UU publication too!