The Summer Day
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
––– Mary Oliver
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Ripple Effects 
thanks for running the words of this poem, so often close to the surface, onto the surface of my mind today
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So much is pretty in the poem, but it is so sad that in the poem, she did not “know exactly what a prayer is…”. God made all of the beauty with which she was surrounded. God bless, C-Marie
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Thanks for your two pebbles. What I can say is, C-Marie, read it as poetry, for it is. (Note Shoreacres’ comment below.) 🙂
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This is so perfect. But then, so is Mary Oliver. I love your new format.
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Still experimenting with the block editing and navigating this new theme… being ‘kicked out’ of my comfort zone finally.
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Arti,
I love the new format on your blog –very clean, sharp and easy to read.
Mary Oliver, was a wonderful poet of the natural world. As always, thank you.
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Welcome to the new Ripple. It’s always my pleasure to hear from you, Heather. 🙂
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I like your format. I knew by the second line which poem you’d chosen. It’s perfection, and your images suit it well. Of course, she knew very well what a prayer is; the poem itself makes that clear.
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I’d the feeling that you’re a fan of Mary Oliver, no wonder you can ID the poem by the second line. 🙂
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Beautiful photos!
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