But don’t just buy them the book. Sit with them and read them a poem out loud. Find which poems move you and talk about why. Fall in love with the words and each other.
THE STORM
Now through the white orchard my little dog romps, breaking the new snow
with wild feet.
Running here running there, excited, hardly able to stop, he leaps, he spins
until the white snow is written upon
in large, exuberant letters,
a long sentence, expressing
the pleasures of the body in this world.
Oh, I could not have said it better myself.
Nov 30, 2024
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i have recently started reading this poetry book by mary oliver and it is sososo beautiful <3 it makes me appreciate life and nature more. the loveliest thing about poetry books is that you don't need to worry about forgetting where you left off!! you can read a few entries and call it a day, and then just pick it back up again when you feel like it!!
one of the poems i love rn:
On Meditating, Sort Of – Mary Oliver
Meditation, so I’ve heard, is best accomplished
if you entertain a certain strict posture.
Frankly, I prefer just to lounge under a tree.
So why should I think I could ever be successful?
Some days I fall asleep, or land in that
even better place — half-asleep — where the world,
spring, summer, autumn, winter —
flies through my mind in its
hardy ascent and its uncompromising descent.
So I just lie like that, while distance and time
reveal their true attitudes: they never
heard of me, and never will, or ever need to.
Of course I wake up finally
thinking, how wonderful to be who I am,
made out of earth and water,
my own thoughts, my own fingerprints —
all that glorious, temporary stuff.
Feb 24, 2025
Aug 9, 2024
IF YOU HAVE NOT YET GOTTEN INTO MARY OLIVER POETRY I BEG YOU! her poetry encapsulates a deeply maternal and spiritual presence i think everyone could benefit from
May 25, 2025
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I’m not a parent and do not plan to be. Kids can wear me out fast with their high energy and noise level; it leaves me very over-stimulated. But it’s pretty extreme when people say they ”hate kids” and I often feel it’s a reflection of their childhood and beliefs around how kids “should be.” That they were expected to be quiet, obedient, and out of the way by their parents when they were little.
It’s fucking hard to be a kid. You’re dealing with a rapidly-changing body and underdeveloped brain, managed by flawed adults who are enforcing boundaries that you do not understand. It’s confusing and hard to manage your feelings and honestly just a lot.
People are impatient with kids when they‘re brand new to the world and figuring it all out, and this is a time kids need a friend the most. Children can also be teachers to adults with how they are less habituated to the world. They teach us how to be free and open-hearted and silly and imaginative.
A good practice is to be kinder and gentler with kids. If that feels difficult, start with gentleness toward your inner child. Maybe that’s the child in your life that needs your attention and kindness most.
Apr 16, 2025
May 6, 2025
I meant to post this yesterday. Absolutely beautiful morning for walk.
This morning is also beautiful but in a spring rain kind of way.
Mar 23, 2025