Leaves and Blossoms Along the Way: A Poem — Mary Oliver

 

If you’re John Muir you want trees to live among.

If you’re Emily, a garden will do.

Try to find the right place for yourself.

If you can’t find it, at least dream it.

 

When one is alone and lonely, the body

gladly lingers in the wind or the rain,

or splashes into the cold river, or

pushes through the ice-crusted snow.

Anything that touches.

 

God, or the gods, are invisible, quite

understandable. But holiness is visible,

entirely.

 

Some words will never leave God’s mouth,

no matter how hard you listen.

 

In all the works of Beethoven, you will

not find a single lie.

 

All important ideas must include the trees,

the mountains, and the rivers.

 

To understand many things you must reach out

of your own condition.

 

For how many years did I wander slowly

through the forest. What wonder and 

glory I would have missed had I ever been 

in a hurry!

 

Beauty can both shout and whisper, and still it explains nothing.

 

The point is, you’re you, and that’s for keeps. 

 

Opening poem chosen and read by Nancy L.

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I began my walk focused on the line in the poem “[God is invisible], but holiness is visible, entirely.” Holiness is visible, entirely… Initially,  I had a difficult time settling my thoughts and emotions into any kind of contemplative mode.  I felt scattered and ungrounded… likely an indication of the state of my current journey. Embrace it… let it go. Embrace it… let it go. I took some deep breaths and after a time began to feel more grounded and at peace.

The holiness was all around me in the incredible beauty of Brookgreen. The changing of the season into autumn spoke to me of release, contemplation, going inward, and death. All of this represented the natural cycle of the seasons and life. Patterns of fallen pine needles and leaves had become remarkable pieces of art. Stillness was held in the cool breeze and the calming whisper of the wind. The sun on my face filled me with light and joy and warmth. As I walked into the shadows I thought, “I am at peace, all is as it should be, holiness is visible everywhere, entirely.”

Photos and reflection by Nancy L.