July 7, 2010

The Summer Day

Mary Oliver

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?

5 comments:

val said...

Ahhh. Perfect. love, Val

Unknown said...

Oh I love this! Thank you for sharing it.

Erin said...

I love this too, it has inspired much creativity, reflection and awareness in me since I first read it :-)

Anonymous said...

Katherine...you asked the question "who made....?"

Read the last three chapters of Job in the Bible.

Or... how about "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them...."

K said...

Anon, you have to get yourself an identity if you'd like to chat here. I don't usually allow anonymous comments. But I give everyone a free pass the first time.

I think you'll have to take your answers up with Mary Oliver, though. As she's the one who wrote the poem.