Maybe the World is the Real Poem

June 3, 2007 · by Christine

The Book of Time (excerpt)

I rose this morning early as usual, and went to my desk.
But it’s spring,
and the thrush is in the woods,
somewhere in the twirled branches, and he is singing.
And so, now, I am standing by the open door.
And now I am stepping down into the grass.
I am touching a few leaves.
I am noticing the way the yellow butterflies
move together, in a twinkling cloud, over the field.
And I am thinking: maybe just looking and listening
is the real work.
Maybe the world, without us,
is the real poem.

-Mary Oliver from The Leaf and the Cloud: A Poem

I am going to repeat those last lines so you can linger with them again for a moment:

“maybe just looking and listening / is the real work. / Maybe the world, without us, / is the real poem.” 

-Christine Valters Paintner @ Abbey of the Arts

Posted in Photos, Poetry |

4 Responses to “Maybe the World is the Real Poem”

  1. Gannet Girl Says:
    June 4th, 2007 at 2:37 am

    This made me think of when my third child was born and I quit working, to a shower of questions along the lines of “For how long?” and “When will you be back?” and “Do you have a plan?”

    I wish I had had the line “maybe just looking and listening/is the real work” to quote in response.

  2. lucy Says:
    June 4th, 2007 at 8:46 am

    love this!

  3. Songbird Says:
    June 4th, 2007 at 11:10 am

    How utterly lovely!

  4. Christine Says:
    June 4th, 2007 at 2:47 pm

    Thanks for your comments Gannet Girl, Lucy, and Songbird — this may be one of my favorite poems of the moment!

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