Opening Devotions, Mary Oliver’s five-decade-spanning anthology of poems, we found this gem, that sets the tone for a new week.
Everyday
I see or hear
something
that more or less
kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle
in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for —
to look, to listen,
to lose myself
inside this soft world —
to instruct myself
over and over
in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,
the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant —
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,
the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help
but grow wise
with such teachings
as these —
the untrimmable light
of the world,
the ocean’s shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?
She couldn’t have said it better…
Everyday
I see or hear
something
that more or less
kills me
with delight
We think of the ordinary wonders that have knocked us out…

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What unexpected marvels will this day bring?
“What unexpected marvels will this day bring?”
…..speaking for myself,
I really enjoyed your fotographs.(!)
Thanks,
beautiful article…
Thanks Gallagher. I’m not sure which of those images I love most. Maybe that perfectly squashed can with straw intact (: