A poem for the day....

With April being National Poetry month I want to share one of my favorite poems ~ Wild Geese by Mary Oliver. This poem was sent to me by a friend a few years past and it changed my life. It was this ‘gift’ that lead me to create my ‘Poetry dress’, on which Wild Geese sits prominently. Besides loving the spirit of this poem, it also reintroduced to the world of poetry. It is now a common sight for me to be lugging around a poetry book. In fact for the past few weeks I have been reading Wild Geese everyday ~ letting Mary Oliver’s words roll over me. My favorite line is
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
I also have been deep into Nikki Giovanni’s work, especially her latest book Bicycle.

In the interest of poetry, a blog worth checking out is Martha Calderaro
Writer, poet, roving pen. She has many poetry related posting, such as Poetry Friday as well as page called POEMS BY FRIENDS where you can add your own creation.

So don’t let National Poetry month pass you by without seeking out some poetic magic. Grab a poem, find a nook, curl up and escape. Peace

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--

over and over announcing

your place in the family of things.

© Mary Oliver
from Dream Work by Mary Oliver

published by Atlantic Monthly Press