Regular readers know how much I love Mary Oliver’s poetry. [Sometimes I think she is the unofficial Jesuit Poet Laureate because I keep meeting other Jesuits who rave about her.] Today, I want to share with you a few lines from her Morning Poem.
each pond with its blazing lilies
is a prayer heard and answered
lavishly,
every morning,whether or not
you have ever dared to be happy,
whether or not
you have ever dared to pray.
If you want to read the entire poem, click here
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Regina 08.31.09 at 7:17 am
Thank you for posting, Paul. I’d like to read more of Mary Oliver’s poems. Do you have a favorite collection or selection of her poems to begin with?
Eric 08.31.09 at 12:04 pm
“Dared to be happy”. “Dared”. I am certain that God wants me to be holy. In my head I know God wants me to be happy. For some reason for me that’s a really difficult one.
Maura 08.31.09 at 6:25 pm
Happened to read the quote from Mary Oliver you’d posted under “Words of Wisdom”
“There are things you can’t reach. But you can reach out to them, and all day long.
The wind, the bird flying away. The idea of God.”
The first line struck me as so appropriate to this day which I spent reaching out to families who for a variety of reasons did not register their children for religious ed classes this year. I know there will be many I can not reach and yet I stretch as best as I can towards them and know that is it up to God to bridge the gap.
Michelle 08.31.09 at 9:48 pm
My favorite Mary Oliver line comes from her poem Six Recognitions of Our Lord (you can hear her read it here):
I.
I know a lot of fancy words.
I tear them from my heart and my tongue.
Then I pray.
Regina, I like her collection Thirst – if you’re looking for a place to start!
Paul 09.02.09 at 6:42 am
Eric,
Like you, I have pondered that line, “dared to be happy.” Sometimes I think that happiness, like love, can be a decision rather than a feeling.
Paul
Paul 09.02.09 at 6:43 am
Maura,
What a great coordinator of Religious Education you must be! The notion of “stretching out” towards the families in your parish is marvellous.
Paul
Paul 09.02.09 at 6:45 am
Michelle,
You came up with the PERFECT Mary Oliver quote – it is now in our Words of Wisdom quotes section. Thank you!
Paul