Poetry Ponderings

 

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

~Mary Oliver, "Wild Geese," from Wild Geese, 2004

Today is World Poetry Day. I spent some time today listening to the audio of Mary Oliver reading selected poems. At Blackwater Pond, the CD, was released in 2011, but today was the first day I listened to the selected works. The poem I shared a selection from is one of my favorites of Mary Oliver's poems. I kind of feel like I say that about several of her poems, so maybe I don't actually have a favorite. However, at this time, in this space within my life, her words continue to be words that reflect the way I see the world. That is why, I think, I've always felt so connected to her poetry. It is the reason I one day decided to write a poem as an adult. The way she describes her observations, the ordinary of life, but in a way that makes it feel extraordinary because, really, every breath taken is extraordinary. 

What is it about a pebble and a drop of rain? 

Is it that they exist? 

Is it that we can touch them? 

Is it that they would be here whether we were or not? 

Or is it the way the sun sends a sparkle?

Or how minerals compress and transform?

Or when we are there, how we witness their presence?

These are just poetry ponderings.