Grow Sweetly Wild
A Pondering...
As beautiful words are wont to do, this poem stopped me in my reading, bidding me to start over and read it aloud while copying the words to paper. Without further ado (no worries, lots more ado to follow after the poem), I share with you the esteemed, delightful Mary Oliver…
Consider the other kingdoms.
The trees, for example, with their mellow-sounding titles:
oak, aspen, willow.
Or the snow, for which the peoples of the north have dozens of words to describe its difficult arrivals.
Or the creatures, with their thick fur, their shy and wordless gaze. Their infallible sense of what their lives are meant to be.
Thus the world grows rich, grows wild, and you too grow rich, grow sweetly wild,
as you too were born to be.
–Mary Oliver, The Other Kingdoms
Grow rich, grow sweetly wild.
Such soul-touching, spirit-grounding, peaceful words.
In the days since I first pondered these words, they have often come to mind, becoming a touchstone of sorts. They’ve lead me to think of all the glorious things in nature I’ve been smitten with and also to take them personally, to ‘grow rich, grow sweetly wild’.
While that was the line that stayed with me the strongest, the rest of the poem is also striking.
‘Mellow-sounding’ names makes the trees seem familiar and welcoming, rooted and connected.
Oak, strong and steadfast…
Willow, swaying and whispering…
Snow’s ‘difficult arrivals’ simply yet with sharp precision describes how even the most seasoned snowy day veteran in the north faces challenges when not tucked up snuggly, warm and safe amid the onslaught. No matter how breathtaking a snowy day landscape is to see, I shudder at the mention of snow, at the thought of the difficult arrivals. Ah, there you are--thy name is melancholy, as much a part of life as delight.
Creatures with ‘their infallible sense of what their lives are meant to be…’ We, too, are made with such meaning, with an abiding sense that we are purposely here to love and be loved–everything else diminished in the all encompassing glow of that surety.
What an adoration of nature, of us humans, that brings such a feeling of deep purpose and peace. To love and be loved.
Until next time, may such a peace be with you.
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What I’m Reading Lately:
*One Long River Song, a collection of essays by Brian Doyle including The Greatest Nature Essay Ever—which absolutely lives up to its title.
*The Hobbit—not much beats a readalong with your grown kiddos.
*You Are Here by David Nicholls. I saw this one rec’d in several places where I respect opinions and enjoy much of what is suggested.
*Finger Prints by Barbara Delinsky is my weekend fall fiction read for this last weekend of September.
As always, I’d love to hear what you’re reading these days.
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(Photos mine unless otherwise noted)