We need beauty because it makes us yearn to be worthy of it. -Mary Oliver
INVITATION by Mary Oliver
Oh do you have time
to linger
for just a little while
out of your busy
and very important day
for the goldfinches
that have gathered
in a field of thistles
for a musical battle,
to see who can sing
the highest note,
or the lowest,
or the most expressive of mirth,
or the most tender?
Their strong, blunt beaks
drink the air
as they strive
melodiously
not for your sake
and not for mine
and not for the sake of winning
but 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.
I beg of you,
do not walk by
without pausing
to attend to this
rather ridiculous performance.
It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
You must change your life.
American poet Mary Oliver was born on September 10, 1935. If she were still with us, she would be 89 years old.
What did Mary Oliver do with her one wild and precious life? She survived a difficult childhood. She loved a woman for 40 years. She wrote poems that will stand the test of time. She touched us all.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-oliver
This post was inspired by a posting by the storyteller, inspirational speaker, pastor, and humorist, Terry Hershey
https://www.terryhershey.com/meet-terry/
Your friend,
Robert
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