When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse
to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes
like the measle-pox
when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,
I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?
And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,
and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,
and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,
tending, as all music does, toward silence,
and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.
When it’s over, I want to say all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened
or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.
When Death Comes – by Mary Oliver
I was saddened to learn of the passing of Mary Oliver. A recipient of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, her poetry touched the simplest things in life with wondrous placement of thoughts and words. She touched me with her poetry and I heard her “voice” so often in my wanderings, frequently placing her poems in tandem with my photos and with my feelings.
Rest in peace, Mary Oliver. You did much more that just visit this world.
I am so very sad about this. A lovely post, Penny. Thank you.
LikeLike
Thank you, Nan. I think you were the one who first introduced me to Mary Oliver, for which I am grateful.
LikeLike
Penny, I hadn’t heard! I, too, love Mary Oliver’s work and I don’t know for sure who introduced me to her, my friend, it very well may have been you. It was definitely through blogging that I first learned of her work, and since that time I’ve purchased volumes of her poetry for gifts and I routinely check her books out at the library. She speaks to me. This is a very sad piece of news you’ve shared with me. I feel the sadness one feels when we realize a very special light has been snuffed. I’m glad you shared tonight. Peace.
LikeLike
Oh, Debra, you said what I feel “. . . the sadness one feels the we realize a very special light has been snuffed.”. I am grateful for her being and her large volume of work that I often turn to – or hear in my head as I am walking about. Peace, my dear friend.
LikeLike
I adored her work. I am so profoundly sad over her loss. I hope people will rediscover what a treasure she was. And is.
LikeLike
As did I. I think we are all feeling this loss over Mary Oliver’s passing. For some reason, on my end, I am unable to comment on your posts, but, please do know I stopped by and how much I appreciate you posting Mary Oliver’s “The Journey”. I saw it this morning and read it, tears flowing anew.
LikeLike
What a beautiful poem Penny. I am not familiar with her work other than what I read on your blog. I will get some of her poetry books.
LikeLike
I think you might enjoy her poetry, Gerlinde, and her prose as well. She was quite prolific, so, there is much to choose from. Thank you.
LikeLike
Thank you for this Penny. I was saddened to read the news this morning . She certainly did do more than visit.
LikeLike
Oh, you are so very welcome, Sallie. As soon as I read about it I knew I had to post. She certainly did.
LikeLike
Oh, I didn’t know this had happened. Sad to hear it. I’ll never forget her line, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” She brought beauty to the world with her one life.
LikeLike
I think those are the words that Mary Oliver will be most remembered for, Sue, and yes, she did bring such beauty. Her passing is sad but we have so much of her living to turn to.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful post, Penny. Yes, sad day indeed. 😥 I can’t remember exactly when I was introduced to her poetry. When I was a kid definitely.
LikeLike
Thank you, L. Marie. How amazingly wonderful it is that you were introduced to Mary Oliver when you were a kid. I love that! I first met her poetry when I started blogging and managed to accrue many of her books and wrote at least 10 posts around or about her words. I hadn’t realized that until she passed away.
LikeLike
What a nice memorial to her, and a lovely poem for comfort.
LikeLike
Thank you, Janet. Her passing made me realize just how much her words meant to me. Sad but glad to have her words.
LikeLike
Dear Penny, there is a story that comes out of World War II. That when the Allies liberated one of the concentration camps/death camps, they found one of the buildings in which the prisoners were totally emaciated and yet they were not mute. They had not lost their ability to reach out with words.
The Allies learned that the group of men had spent each night reciting poetry and literature to one another. Poems and passages that they had memorized in their lives before that hell on earth.
And those words, written perhaps centuries before had kept them sane and able to see beyond the time of their suffering to lives lived by others “whole-ly” and “real-ly.”
Mary Oliver’s poems have carried so many readers through times of sorrow and tragedy. They have taught so many the glory and the graciousness of being human.
As you said, Penny, she did so much more than just visit the Earth. Peace.
LikeLike
Oh, Dee, I was just thinking of you right now, working on a post, and thought I’d check this post. Here you are:) . I’m about 3/4 way through an audiobook by an author we both enjoy and whom you introduced me to. Sulfur Springs by William Kent Krueger.
The power of the written word and in the memorization of them is startling when put in the context of such a stark and horrendous place as a death camp. Thank you for sharing that, Dee.
Yes. Mary Oliver’s poems have done both, and she taps into both grief and in beauty. Lucky we all are to have such a large body of her words. Peace, dear friend Dee.
LikeLike
Sad news, but it’s wonderful to read this poem. Thank you Penny.
.
LikeLike
It is, indeed, but, so wonderful to have so many poems of Mary Oliver’s. You are very welcome.
LikeLike