Morning ...

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Mary Oliver and Percy — photo by Rachel Giese Brown

Today is the birthday of the cherished poetess Mary Oliver (born September 10, 1935). More than a poet, she strikes me as a language of her own, a way of being in this world, a type of Rosetta Stone that can help us see and translate the hieroglyphics nature writes in us and grasp the endless flow of bountiful gifts we receive from her. We need only look and feel and be open to being perpetually amazed. Below I am posting her Morning Poem.

For this birthday banquet, I have teamed her up with Yusef Lateef, the 'gentle giant', and his soulful rendering of his composition Morning. Click on play to listen while reading Morning Poem below.

Enjoy and happy birthday, Mary...

Morning Poem

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.

      from Dream Work (1986) by Mary Oliver
      © Mary Oliver

I also recommend a New York Times article from July of last year titled "The Land and Words of Mary Oliver, the Bard of Provincetown".

A special added treat in that article is the slideshow of beautiful photos of Mary Oliver's beloved Cape Cod with the audio of Mary reading two of her own poems: At Blackwater Pond and The Sun. What could be finer? I suggest you view the full screen version to luxuriate in the images as you listen to her guide us by the hand into the lake and the setting and rising sun.

Poetry Flash: Mary Oliver to work as commentator on 2010 World Cup

Mary Oliver. Summer, 1964.
Photo by Molly Malone Cook,
from Our World (Beacon Press, 2007)

The 2010 World Cup has now begun, which means that football will be the overriding obsession of just about the entire world outside the USA (where the sport is known as soccer). Here in Spain is certainly no different and, although I am not a huge football fan (I would just as soon be out riding my bike than watching any sports event on the tube), I do feel compelled to post something on the great competition that will unfold over the course of this month and be followed by billions.

So I am very pleased to announce that the alchemist’s pillow, with the invaluable support of the Lannan Foundation, has convinced Mary Oliver to give her views on the world’s most important sports competition. I am embedding a video of Oliver’s unique insights into such pressing issues as whether Fabio Capello’s defensive-minded style of play is best suited for the England team, some curious views on why Lionel Messi has so far failed to uncork the same type of scintillating scoring runs with the Argentina side as he does with the Barcelona football club, and much, much more.

A double warning, however. First, the video is longer than anything previously posted here (around 45 minutes), so some may find it overlong. I trust, however, that the real football lovers will probably find it too short! But just in case, if you prefer to see it some other time, I am including a link here so you can visit the site and watch (or download) it at your leisure.

The second warning: you will find that Mary Oliver has not completely jettisoned the baggage she carries from her previous work as a poetess. So her discussion of the World Cup is rather tangential and elliptical, with oblique references at best. Rather than a cut and dry discussion of team strengths, weaknesses and tactics, she uses a somewhat more lyrical approach, cleverly couching her analysis in metaphors … you know, wild geese, swans and roses, roses, roses, roses … that kind of thing.

But I am sure the sophisticated football cognoscenti amongst you will see through this pesky but curious poetic patina and gain much from her commentary. And as for those of you who neither follow nor give a hang about football —Ah, you hapless, laughable souls, I do so love you anyway— you may enjoy the video nonetheless. Some of my 'poety' friend who know and care much about such matters say her words stand up fairly well on their own as poetry, even if you don’t catch the subtle sports references.



The Lannan Foundation has may other podcasts of poets reading their works. Click here to browse their list of videos of Grace Paley, Robert Creeley, Octavia Paz, Czeslaw Milosz and many others.