Extracts from The Leaf and The Cloud
The poem is not the world
It isn't even the first page of the world.
But the poem wants to flower, like a flower
It knows that much.
It wants to open itself,
like the door of a little temple,
so that you might step inside
and be cooled and refreshed,
and less yourself
than a part of everything.
Therefore, tell me
what will engage you?
What will open the dark fields
of your mind,
like a lover
at first touching?
When lonliness comes stalking,
go into the fields,
consider the orderliness
of the world.
Notice something you have
never noticed before.
A lifetime isn't long enough
for the beauty of this world
and the responsibiities
of your life.
In the glare of your mind,
be modest
And beholden to what is tactile
and thrilling.
Live with the beetle,
and the wind.
This is the dark bread of the poem.
This is the dark and nourishing bread of the poem.
Mary Oliver