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Sunday, January 2, 2011

Heavy


Heavy
by Mary Oliver

That time
I thought I could not
go any closer to grief
without dying

I went closer,
and I did not die.
Surely God
had His hand in this

as well as friends.
Still, I was bent,
and my laughter,
as the poet said,

was nowhere to be found.
Then my friend Daniel
(brave even among the lions),
"It's not the weight you carry

but how you carry it --
books, bricks, grief --
it's all in the way
you embrace it, balance it, carry it

when you cannot, and would not,
put it down."
So I went practicing.
Have you noticed?

Have you heard
the laughter
that comes, now and again,
out of my startled mouth?

How I linger
to admire, admire, admire,
the things of this world
that are kind, and maybe

also troubled --
roses in the wind,
the sea geese on the steep waves,
a love
to which there is no reply?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pam, my friend everytime I think I have found my favorite art piece of yours, you post another and I fall in love all over again....beautiful.

Pam Tucker said...

David! You always make me smile. ;) Thank you...

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Artwork and an equally beautiful poem..

Do you sell any of your pieces?

Pam Tucker said...

Lynne: Thank you!

I hope to have my online shop ready to go by Spring. Thank you so much for asking! I'll put a link on my blog when it's open. :)

Bill said...

I also love to admire roses in the wind. What an incredible piece of art! As always, you find a thought-provoking poem to take your art to a spiritual level. Wow.

Pam Tucker said...

Thank you so much, Bill! ;)

Martin said...

A complex painting ... After having read the poem I still don't know any more if the poem speaks the painting or vice versa. Love it!

Pam Tucker said...

Starwatcher: Oh, thank YOU! :)

Oxana said...

Simply gorgeous!!!!!

Pam Tucker said...

Hello Oxana! Thank you... ;)

Pat Tillett said...

A beautiful poem and an AMAZING piece of are to go with it!

Pam Tucker said...

Pat: I love that poem. It's one of my favorites. I'm so glad you liked the art! ;)