Before the blogging begins, a breath. An invitation. A call to action. A poem.
I go to Mary Oliver’s book, Red Bird, on those days when poetry is the only answer to a the shadow that gnaws at the corners of the world.
Invitation
Oh do you have time
to linger
for just a little while
out of your busy
and very important day
for the goldfinches
that have gathered
in a field of thistles
for a musical battle,
to see who can sing
the highest note,
or the lowest,
or the most expressive of mirth,
or the most tender?
Their strong, blunt beaks
drink the air
as they strive
melodiously
not for your sake
and not for mine
and not for the sake of winning
but for sheer delight and gratitude—
believe us, they say,
it is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in the broken world.
I beg of you,
do not walk by
without pausing
to attend to this
rather ridiculous performance.
It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
You must change your life.
~ Mary Oliver 1
A private person, Mary Oliver has given few interviews in her career. This, in the age of the selfie, and in spite of her winning the Pulitzer Prize, National Book award and being recognized by the New York Times as “far and away, this country’s best selling poet.”2 But I’m OK with that, because then Mary can concentrate on the more important things in life, like stopping to linger and listen—really listen—to the birds
If you have never heard a goldfinch sing, you can hear their song, thanks to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Macaulay Library.
References:
- Oliver, Mary. 2008. Red Bird. Poems by Mary Oliver. Beacon Press. Boston. p. 18 (Amazon link)
- Source: Mary Oliver official bio.
Note that if you learn about and buy any of the books from any of the Amazon links above, this will contribute funds to help continue the work on this blog, thank-you.