Garden Blogger's Muse Day

Happy Autumn, Happy October. It is the first of the month once again which means it is time for Garden Blogger's Muse Day. Carolyn at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago has started the muse of posting a poem on the first of the month. You can go to her blog here to see all who participate in this muse.

My choice of poem this month is from Mary Oliver's book Blue Iris. Not only is her poem appropriate for October the entire book is great. I hope you enjoy it.

October

1

There's this shape, black as the entrance to a cave.

A longing wells up in its throat

like a blossom

as it breathes slowly.

What does the world

mean to you if you can't trust it

to go on shining when you're

not there? And there's

a tree, long-fallen; once

of messengers, and filled it

with honey.

2

I said to the chickadee, singing his heart out in the

green pine tree:

little dazzler,

little song,

Little mouthful.

3

The shape climbs up out of the curled grass. It

grunts into view. There is no measure

for the confidence at the bottom of its eyes-

there is not telling

the suppleness of its shoulders as it turns

and yawns.

Near the fallen tree

Something-a leaf snapped loose

from the branch and fluttering down-tries to pull me

into its trap of attention.

4

It pulls me

into its trap of attention.

And when I turn again, the bear is gone.

5

Look, hasn't my body already felt

like the body of a flower?

6

Look, I wanted to love the world

as though it's the last chance I'm ever going to get

to bve alive

and know it.

7

Sometimes in late summer I won't touch anything, not

the flowers, not the blackberries

brimming in the thickets; I won't drink

from the pond; I won't name the birds or the trees;

I won't whisper my own name.

One morning

the fox came down the hill, glittering and confident,

and didn't see me- and I thought;

so this is the world.

I'mnot in it.

It is beautiful.