The poem
Every morning the world is created. Under the orange
sticks of the sun the heaped ashes of the night turn into leaves again
and fasten themselves to the high branches --- and the ponds appear like black cloth on which are painted islands
of summer lilies. If it is your nature to be happy you will swim away along the soft trails
for hours, your imagination alighting everywhere. And if your spirit carries within it
the thorn that is heavier than lead --- if it's all you can do to keep on trudging ---
there is still somewhere deep within you a beast shouting that the earth is exactly what it wanted ---
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.
I have stumbled upon a treasure....Mary Oliver
Here here dear boy Joey. I'm writing a paper on her right now, and she is cosmic in every lovely hippy value and every deep spiritual value as well.
Mary Oliver is one of my favorite poets. I think that she has this way with making you think beyond the cover image of the poetry. She has this way to make you think about what the things of the world could resemble our lives. She has an incredible way of relating to so many of the people in this life..She is remarkable and this poem is one that makes you think and all of those things i just said. I like this poem a lot and thank Mary Oliver for sharing her talents with the world.