Thursday, February 11, 2016

"I Worried" by Mary Oliver

One of the many reasons I love poetry is because -- now and then -- I find a poem that perfectly captures a shared emotion, a poem that reminds me we are all in this together. So for all of us worrying warriors, here's hope:

I Worried
Mary Oliver

I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?

Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?

Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.

Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?

Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.

2 comments:

Bud Simpson said...

Exactly what I needed this morning. xo

Jan said...

I'm so glad! I have had it posted on my bulletin board for some time -- finally realized it might be a good one to share.