Poetry Sunday: Invitation by Mary Oliver

I came across this Mary Oliver poem last week and it reminded me that the goldfinches should be arriving soon. We usually get them around the first of December, sometimes a little earlier. I look forward to their arrival and I will always find time in my "busy and important days" to watch them just as Mary Oliver would have, for "it is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in a broken world..." And it is always a serious thing while alive to be appreciative of all the beauty that Nature provides to soothe our weary and dispirited souls.

Invitation

by Mary Oliver

Oh do you have time
to linger
for just a little while
out of your busy

and very important day
for the goldfinches
that have gathered
in a field of thistles

for a musical battle,
to see who can sing
the highest note,
or the lowest,

or the most expressive of mirth,
or the most tender?
Their strong, blunt beaks
drink the air

as they strive
melodiously
not for your sake
and not for mine

and not for the sake of winning
but for sheer delight and gratitude –
believe us, they say,
it is a serious thing

just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in the broken world.
I beg of you,

do not walk by
without pausing
to attend to this
rather ridiculous performance.

It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
You must change your life.


Comments

  1. David M. Gascoigne,November 10, 2024 at 2:47 AM

    As always, Mary Oliver captures the moment as no one else can. I have to say, however, that “all the beauty that Nature provides to soothe our weary and dispirited souls,” is a lovely poetic turn of phrase too, Dorothy. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  2. jabblogNovember 10, 2024 at 4:51 AM

    'It is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in the broken world' - so very apt at this moment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersNovember 10, 2024 at 10:51 AM

      Yes, I, too, felt that this poem spoke to this particular moment.

      Delete
  3. AlanaNovember 10, 2024 at 7:30 AM

    What a beautiful poem. I've seen American goldfinches feasting on thistles on some of my exercise walks. These lovely birds are year round where I live in New York and I just researched to find they are indeed winter only birds for you. Thank you for the lesson! I never knew some of them migrate. Even in their dull winter plumage I still love them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersNovember 10, 2024 at 10:55 AM

      Lucky you with your year-round goldfinches! Once they arrive here they stay for a very long time, long enough for their feathers to begin to take on their colorful summer hues, so, if we are lucky, we, too, get to see them in their more colorful mode.

      Delete
  4. Lark November 10, 2024 at 10:15 AM

    We have both American goldfinches and lesser goldfinches here all year; they're such cute little birds. I like to watch them. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersNovember 10, 2024 at 10:57 AM

      I've only seen the Lesser Goldfinches when we've visited New Mexico. They are lovely birds as are the American Goldfinches that visit here.

      Delete
  5. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzNovember 10, 2024 at 11:35 AM

    "...just to be alive
    on this fresh morning
    in the broken world..."

    Beautiful. Goldfinches should be coming your way soon. I saw my first flock of them yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersNovember 10, 2024 at 3:58 PM

      Yay! Something to look forward to in the coming week!

      Delete
  6. thecuecardNovember 11, 2024 at 11:17 AM

    What a wonderful poem that speaks to us now. I have not read this before but I love it. I think I will post it in my office. Not sure what time of year we've seen a goldfinch here ... but I will keep observing.

    ReplyDelete

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