Thoughts on Mary Oliver

These poems by Mary Oliver are so vivid. There are two that really stuck out to me. I think my favorite is the one entitled, “Musical Notation 1”, but I also really enjoyed “Messenger.” I would like to expound on both of these for this blog post.

First and foremost, I really appreciate the imagery that Mary used in “Musical Notation 1.” When she said the dog sat “down on his haunches,” I could really envision him sitting majestically in the sand. I also thought a lot about the line, “He or she, who loves god, will look most deeply into his works...” She then goes on to talk about nature. I often tend to think of God as the God of the Bible, but His works are not just found in Scripture. His works are found all around us and we are the work of His hand. I also appreciate how this passage is punctuated. The commas forced me to pause and ponder exactly what Oliver was saying. I am impressed that she didn't just mention He who loves god and then keep going. The comma had me thinking about all of humanity, not just good little white southern gentlemen. All of us, male, female, child, and even beast, have the opportunity to admire God's handiwork that is found all around us.

The opening line to the poem “Messenger” had me thinking one thing, but as the poem progressed, my thoughts changed. The poem reads:

My work is loving the world.

Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird-

Of course, hummingbirds and sunflowers are part of the world, but I tend to think of the world as just humanity. That is such a shallow viewpoint and one that I have taken for granted. All of God's work is important and we can learn something about His character from each and every single thing that He has created.

Oliver says that her work is, “Standing still and learning to be astonished.” I have never thought about being astonished as something I should learn, but I think it is true. Should we not force ourselves to think from time to time? Should we not look up from the chaos of media and busyness that we cram into our lives to be completely and utterly awestruck by God's creation? I believe so. I think this is something that I will now be incorporating more into my own work. I have always loved finding time to be in nature and solitude, but I do not force my mind to be quiet while I look for things to be astonished by. This thought of being astonished by the mundane is something that Dr. Charles Hulin often speaks of in his faith lectures. I have always enjoyed hearing him speak about a squirrel or a butterfly's antics. I need to force myself to sit and work on being astonished by creation more often. God in His brilliance has created this world to be something that I never believe that I will tire in exploring. I am grateful for that.