Mary Oliver: The Leaf and the Cloud

When loneliness comes stalking, go into the fields, consider
the orderliness of the world. Notice
something you have never noticed before,

 

like the tambourine sound of the snow-cricket
whose pale green body is no longer than your thumb.

 

Stare hard at the hummingbird, in the summer rain,
shaking the water-sparks from its wings.

 

Let grief be your sister, she will wither or not.
Rise up from the stump of sorrow, and be green also,
    like the diligent leaves.

 

A lifetime isn't long enough for the beauty of this world
and the responsibilities of your life.

 

Scatter your flowers over the graves, and walk away.
Be good-natured and untidy in your exuberance.

 

In the glare of your mind, be modest.
And beholden to what is tactile, and thrilling.

 

Live with the beetle, and the wind.

 

~ Mary Oliver ~

 

(excerpt from The Leaf and the Cloud: A Poem)

 

 

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