Everything I have ever learned......

Everything I have ever learned in my life leads back to this:
the fires and the black river of loss
whose other side is salvation
whose meaning none of us will ever know.
to live in the world
You must be able to do three things:
to love what is mortal
to hold it
against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it
and, when the time comes,
to let it go
to let it go

my hands let go
             let go
               let go

From Mary Oliver: Blackwater Woods

Thanks to Brenna

Comments

[ray]

Mary oliver is such a wonderful poet... that is beautiful!

[Robert]

Ah, another Mary Oliver reader (and fan?). Thanks for sharing that one.

Do you write poetry?

[Lisa]

what a beautiful poem...

[Darrell Grizzle]

Mary Oliver continues to amaze me. Thank you for posting this, Sujatin!

Darrell (another Mary Oliver fan)

[Sujatin]

I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. Any books you particularly recommend?

[Sujatin]

No, Robert, I haven't written any poetry for a number of years - and reading something as inspired as this puts me off trying :-(