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 dared to pray.
Mary Oliver
Quote extracted from: Mary Oliver – New and Selected Poems
Content Catnip 
Wow! That’s beautiful Catnip. And it’s how we perceive the world each day, depending on our proclivities and our moods.
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So true Kev…I’ve found just reading poems like this can lift my mood and make me feel better about everything. Hope you have a nice weekend friend 😊 😘
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Lovely… like the world re-creates itself each day 🙂
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Yes indeed..these words are like a warm hug aren’t they, she was such a genius, can still read the same poems and discover new things in them over and over. Hope you have a nice weekend 😊
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That’s what makes a piece of art beautiful. 🙂
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Definitely
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Mary Oliver is one of my favorites. Her words deeply touch me.
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Me too….she’s wonderful isn’t she
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Not usually so much into poetry, but I really like this one.
It’s a hopeful declaration.
“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”
For reasons a little difficult to explain, I’m wondering if she’s a runner…
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Yes you are right, it really is a hopeful declaration and it’s one of those rare poems, like a gift if read when you are in less than positive moods it has the power to lift your spirits….a subtle shift inside. For me, I can see new meanings to it on each reading. It sounds a bit like a runner’s words especially the “keep on trudging” part and feeling that joyful closeness of muscle and bone to the earth. Not sure if she is, but curious now. 🤔
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