Morning Poem by Mary Oliver

Morning Poem  By: Mary Oliver


"Every morning
the world
is created.
Under the orange

sticks of the sun
the heaped
ashes of the night
turn into leaves again

and fasten themselves to the high branches ---
and the ponds appear
like black cloth
on which are painted islands

of summer lilies.
If it is your nature
to be happy
you will swim away along the soft trails

for hours, your imagination
alighting everywhere.
And if your spirit
carries within it

the thorn
that is heavier than lead ---
if it's all you can do
to keep on trudging ---

there is still
somewhere deep within you
a beast shouting that the earth
is exactly what it wanted ---

each pond with its blazing lilies
is a prayer heard and answered
lavishly,
every morning,

whether or not
you have ever dared to be happy,
whether or not
you have ever dared to pray."

 

In the first stanza, Mary writes, "Every morning the world is created." I interpret that as there is always a new day tomorrow. So on any given day, should you fall prey to depression, anger, fatigue, gloominess, etc, know that you can wake up the next day, literally, in a whole new light.  But this line doesn't just offer hope when we are having rough days.  Your present day may already be happy, amazing, and intriguing; you get to look forward to another day just like it and another after that!

She writes if you are in the latter category, happy, your imagination will alight everywhere. I recently offered a theme on curiosity and its importance in your everyday life.  Your imagination is like a child wanting to get out of the house to explore...let it!

Mary writes that if you fall more into the first category, " And if your spirit carries within it the thorn
that is heavier than lead", know that "somewhere deep within you a beast shouting that the earth
is exactly what it wanted".  That your soul wants to be here, your spirit seeks to learn and evolve.

And then the last stanza..." whether or not you have ever dared to be happy, whether or not
you have ever dared to pray."

I looked up the definition of the word pray because I think it can mean so many different things to various people.  Interestingly enough, after listing the religious connotations, it said "yoga is a form of prayer."

Practice yoga. Dare to be happy!

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