Today is Poetry Friday, and our host is Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities. She has a successful first reverso poem to share!
My husband has been reading Richard Rohr’s Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. In this book, Keith is finding much truth about his second half of life. Rohr claims: “Poets like Gerard Manley Hopkins, Mary Oliver, David Whyte, Denise Levertov, Naomi Shihab Nye, Rainer Maria Rilke, and T.S. Eliot now name your own inner experience…” My husband jumped right in, especially to Mary Oliver, and he has been devouring her collection Devotions. This morning I woke up to have him right away share the poem “Evidence” with me. Here’s just the very beginning:
Where do I live? If I had no address, as many people do not, I could nevertheless say that I lived in the same town as the lilies of the field, and the still waters.
I couldn’t find the poem “Evidence” online, but it is in the book Evidence and in her Devotions collection.
It’s been very rewarding to read poetry about the second half of life with my love.
Here’s another Mary Oliver poem, and a response poem by me.
Morning Glories
Blue and dark blue
rose and deepest rose
white and pink they
are everywhere in the diligent
cornfield rising and swaying
in their reliable
finery in the little
fling of their bodies their
gear and tackle
Read the rest of her poem here
Desert Weeds
A Golden Shovelish Poem after “Morning Glories”
Draft by Denise Krebs
After Hilary came
through with four inches of
summer rain, weeds
have been popping up
around here, but
they are weeds without
a season, short-lived–
for the days will grow shorter
and cooler, but they add value
to this desert of sand
and value to my vision–
eyefuls of glorious humorous
green to surprise us
in the heat of summer
bridges of the beautiful
will we ever take the
lessons and learn from
our friends the weeds
Striking line is taken from the last two lines of Oliver’s “Morning Glories” poem: “weeds without value humorous / beautiful weeds”
How delightful to share poetry with your husband, Denise. I am a huge Mary Oliver fan and immediately went to my copy of Devotions to reread “Evidence.” Your golden shovel is lovely. I like thinking of weeds as “bridges of the beautiful.”
Denise, I love your Golden shovel-ish poem. 🙂 Beautiful! And I am all for sharing poetry with one’s love. My ArtSpeak poem this week is about that very thing! xo
Denise, gorgeous and cleverly constructed poem! I love the thought of humorous weeds. It is so wonderful that you and your husband share an interest in all things poetic. How nice to be awakened with poetry!
There’s something so evocative about weeds without a season, Denise. Love this.
I love reading that you and your husband are sharing poetry, Denise, Morning glories reminds me of my mother who took such care with her own and adored them. Your Golden Shovelish – te he – makes me think that, as we all know about celebrating, it doesn’t come very often, so with the rain, those weeds are throwing a grand bash! I think “green to surprise us” is what led me to this. Thanks for a lovely treat about weeds!
Such a lovely thing to do together! My hubby has gifted me with Mary Oliver books more than once of late. And your “Golden Shovelish” poem – ha! Weeds and flowers are certainly in the eye of the beholder, no? Thanks for the clever weedy treat and for sharing.
ooooooh! I love this golden shovel with short stanzas instead of lines. Beautiful and very reflective of Oliver. “eyefuls of glorious” is terrific! I want to steal THAT line!
I do love all things Mary Oliver. I wish I could get my husband to read poetry. He hardly ever does, but he is more accepting of my passion for it. I love how you used her form of 3 lines like steps, and enjambment with the golden shovel word. This is a form that I would love to try. Especially “humorous/ green”
You had me at “Mary Oliver” and I love the idea of a “golden shovel-ish” poem! You’ve given me a fantastic mentor text!
Denise, there is so much to love about your post with your Golden Shovelish poem. It is delightful to hear that you and your husband both enjoy poetry.
I love all of these connections you all have made. I also really love “bridges of the beautiful.”
Oh, this is wonderful, Denise! Yes, we can “learn from / our friends the weeds”.
I love this Denise – especially the part of you and your husband sharing the poetry. My husband and I often share the same book and discuss it, but we’ve never shared poetry. My other connection to your post this week is your choice of Oliver’s line that includes weeds – I have been known to plant weeds – (anyone who has planted milkweed has done this). It took me several years to get my garden club students’ parents to realize milkweed was not “just a weed” but an important plant for our friends, the Monarchs. I’ll have to borrow a copy of Devotions from the library. I always feel I should be an Oliver fan with my love for nature but I cannot say I am one…yet. Thanks for sharing some tenderness this Friday.
“weeds without a season” – I love this line, Denise. How dare they seed so late in summer. How dare they disguise themselves as green dancers in wind. Hmm… maybe we should dare…
How wonderful to share poetry with your husband. Richard Rohr is an inspiration – as is Mary Oliver. Thank you for sharing.