When I Am Among the Trees  by Mary Oliver






When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
    but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, "Stay awhile."
The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, "It's simple," they say,
"and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine."

Comments

Unknown said…
So beautiful. I feel a connection with the trees too. Mary Oliver is so amazing---one of my favorite poets!
Jenny Mendes said…
One of my favorite poets as well!
Elizabeth Frank said…
That is so lovely. Thank you for sharing it!