I am embarking on a summer discipline of reading some poetry every morning in hopes of whetting my appetite for something other than “churchy, missional” stuff. I have never been good at reading anything other than non-fiction. So, in light of that of that goal I asked my good friend and author Shann Ferch to recommend his Michael Jordan of the poetry world. He immediately suggested Mary Oliver. So far, he was spot on. Here is just one of many amazing poems from her book Thirst.
The Vast Ocean Begins Just Outside Our Church: The Eucharist
Mary Oliver
Something has happened
to the bread
and the wine.
They have been blessed.
What now?
The body leans forward
to receive the gift
from the priest’s hand,
then the chalice.
They are something else now
from what they were
before this began.
I want
to see Jesus,
maybe in the clouds
or on the shore,
just walking,
beautiful man
and clearly
someone else
besides.
On the hard days
I ask myself
if I ever will.
Also there are times
my body whispers to me
that I have.
The last line somehow served as a tool to exhale my soul a bit. Beauty, skill and wonder are in each line.
What role do beautiful words play in your life?
Nooooo – you are lovely!
Mary – thanks! You are one that would know about beautiful words. You have a life and words that display beauty.
that was lovely…
Mary Oliver is one of my favorites (thanks to Shann too). In my life, I can see that beautiful words open me up to see and understand truth, and Truth, much more quickly than harsh shouts or vehement protests. They make me go forward and search for more instead of shrink back or become defensive.
Thanks for weighing on this Kar. I am coming to finally realize that I have a life long love affair with words…their power to illicit emotion and hope…their ability to capture a better story, a better future. Oliver proves this to me with each poem I read. I post a few others.
lovely poem.
beautiful words put pictures to feeling or feelings to pictures. they are the gateway between the two things for me.