i never thought about
what i knew
or what i would know...
when i was a boy.
i thought about playing
about laughing
about how to find things to make me laugh
and
how to find things
to make other people laugh.
as a man,
i've tried to make things good
for myself,
and i've tried to figure out
how to bring goodness
into the lives of other people.
i was brought up that way.
and then
i grew into it.
sometimes
i wish i could know
what will come of it all.
but that isn't how this
all plays out.
is it?!
so
i keep on being
and doing.
~
i believe i will never quite know.
though i play at the edges of knowing,
truly i know
our part is not knowing,
but looking, and touching, and loving,
which is the way i walked on,
softly,
through the pale-pink morning light.
from "bone" mary oliver
michael w. rose morning light
29 comments:
Oh, Ms. Mary . . . she can always make my day. And what a gorgeous image to perfectly accompany her words -- and yours.
Steven, this post makes me sigh. A good sigh, rooted in the good earth. We have all come so many miles, so many days. Indeed, we could never have guessed the winding path of our journey. Mary Oliver's words and Michael Rose's painting lay it out beautifully. Thanks so much.
what a beautiful poem.. i wish my emotions were quite the same.. at least i know, i am striving to feel what is expressed here!
Hi Steven
It is a Mary Oliver kind of day...I was enjoying more of her poems this morning...
this piece you have brought to us, especially;
i believe i will never quite know.
though i play at the edges of knowing,
truly i know
our part is not knowing,
but looking, and touching, and loving,
which is the way i walked on,
softly,
through the pale-pink morning light.
is just lovely...I love the mystery of it all...this life, this not knowing...
Happy days
You're on a good path, Steven. Lovely post.
Fabulous new header, too! Hope you're enjoying the weekend, dear friend.
Maybe the not knowing part is the space that faith fills?
You found the perfect image to accompany some insightful words.
Enjoy a peaceful weekend, steven, on that path.
Steven - how do you find these lovely words and the so appropriate picutres to match them. Beautiful today! Love the new header too although I did love the compimentary blue and yellow.
Mary Oliver's words are so incredibly beautiful. They are singing in my mind.
Thank you so much for sharing.
As I grow older I think more and more about legacy, will I leave anything behind that is worthwhile? Should I? Does it matter?
I'm a big fan of Mary Oliver, and of you, Steven. Have a great day.
As others have noted this is a lovely pairing of image and a part of Mary Oliver's poem. I'd like to say something about these words in your poem:
"sometimes
i wish i could know
what will come of it all.
but that isn't how this
all plays out.
is it?!
so
i keep on being
and doing."
The wish to "know what will come of it all" distracts us from being fully present with what is.
Since we cannot predict how our karma will play out in the future, perhaps it is more useful to return our attention to our present moments and look ever more deeply into them.
hi kathleen - i thought the pink roads matched each other!!! thanks for your kind comment. have a lovely afternoon. steven
hi richard, thanks for that lovely comment. hey i've just ordered your latest - the legend of st. christopher. have you seen the artwork in there? it's crazy good!!!! i can't wait to see this book!!! have a lovely saturday. steven
hi phoenix - it is really lovely but read dan's comment later on for some sage advice. have a peaceful saturday. steven
hi delwyn - yes that's just it - it really is a mystery - the not knowing. letting go of the need to know is (as dan points out) a distraction from what is. which is beautiful, rich, whole. have a lovely saturday night by the river delwyn. steven
hello willow - i am enjoying the weekend lots. we're preparing the golden fish world headquarters for a two week visit from an australian friend!!! i sense a party or two coming our way!!!! thanks for noticing the new header!!! have a lovely saturday at the manor. steven
Lovely steven. I just try to make the best of each day as I have it. I sometimes wonder though, how long my art glass will live beyond me.
I like the new picture in your header, btw.
hello golden west, i've got lots of faith!!!!! have a lovely evening. steven
h barry - lovely to see you!!! thanks for the nice comment. mary's wordds are often so insightful and clarifying aren't they!! have a lovely evening in
scarborough. steven
hello weaver- i'm just really fortunate!!! thanks for the compliment about the new header. i love the previous one as well but i thought something more autumnal and subdued was needed. i've saved the other photo anyway so it might return once again. have a lovely evening in the dale. steven
hi liza - thanks for appreciating her words. it's really a pleasure to share the work of someone so insightful and clear. have a sweet evening. steven
hi reya - legacy - i have that word on one wall of my classroom. i think memories and how we touch people on whatever level and in whatever way are legacies. it makes the moment more valuable then as you think about what memories you'd want to leave behind. but i don't worry a whole lot about what i'll leave behind - materially? not a jot!!! emotionally? hmmm well i'd like to leave good feelings behind but that's beyond my control. spiritually? hmmm i'd like to leave lots of good vibes in my wake!!!! thanks for the wriggly-making compliment!!!! me and mary oliver?!!! holy moley!!! ha!! steven
hi dan - thanks for this insightful comment. i've drawn other reader's attention to it in my reply to their comments.
right here right now - for all that it is and for all that it's worth!!! the big present moment. have a lovely peaceful evening out west dan!!! steven
hi ellen - well that's a true legacy of love and beauty to leave behind!!!! making the world a better more beautiful place for people you'll never know!!!! have a lovely evening ellen. steven
Hi Steven~ I realize I've never acknowledged it, but I can rectify that. The kindness that pours out of you is such a gift. For me, it's like being wrapped in a cashmere throw in the glow of a hundred candles. I thank you not only for me but for your other fellow bloggers and all those students you teach, and probably their parents, too. Not to mention the cloak of loving caring you wrap around your family! Have a weekend of goodness!
helo margaret - thankyou for that very generous and touching comment. i'm deeply grateful! i've been blessed with tremendous fortune in the form of good, kind people in my life who have made me welcome and brought to me knowledge, understanding, and love. blogging has brought me into contact with the most extraordinary people and i cannot fully express the depths of my gratitude to them or to whatever possessed me to push the "start blogging" button!! so i'll start here. thankyou for your beautiful, kind, generous, thoughtful and heartfelt comments margaret!! steven
Until I reached the end, I thought these were your words, Steven. Especially stanza three: that is how I see you.
hello bee - all the words are mine until you get to this little symbol ~ after that they're mary's!!!! thaks for dropping by and have a peaceful day. steven
you were a thoughtful boy who has become a thoughtful man; I cannot see you ever change.
Is there more to know?
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