Monday, November 5, 2012

Sleeping in the Forest

Sleeping in the Forest

I thought the earth
remembered me, she
took me back so tenderly, arranging
her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds, I slept
as never before, a stone
on the riverbed. nothing
between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated
light as moths among the branches
of the perfect trees.  All night
I heard the small kingdoms breathing
around me, the insects, and the birds
who do their work in the darkness.  All night
I rose and fell, as if in water, grappling
with a luminous doom.  By morning
I had vanished at least a dozen times
into something better.
by Mary Oliver

Happy Tuesday dear friends!

4 comments:

Steph said...

:-)

Laurie said...

Love it Marilyn, what a beautiful way with words. Happy Wednesday!

Linda P said...

Beautiful image - looks like a Japanese influence there.

GretchenJoanna said...

I love Mary Oliver, what little I have read...thanks for introducing me to another of her poems!