Whackadoodle Poetry, or A few words that might inspire you.

Some Questions You Might Ask, by Mary Oliver

Wings of an Owl Butterfly Caligo, Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

Mary Oliver was an award-winning American poet with fans throughout the world. In addition to her numerous literary prizes, as noted by the New York Times, Mary Oliver was “far and away, this country’s best-selling poet.”

She also happens to be one of my favorite poets, and ‘Some Questions You Might Ask’ one of my favorite poems. I thought that I might share it with you today in the hopes that it will inspire you to seek out more of her work on your own.

Plus, I hope it will inspire you to take a look outside. Shut out the noise for a day. Maybe take a walk…

Some Questions You might Ask
A poem by Mary Oliver

Is the soul solid, like iron?
Or is it tender and breakable, like
the wings of a moth in the beak of the owl?
Who has it, and who doesn’t?
I keep looking around me.
The face of the moose is as sad
as the face of Jesus.
The swan opens her white wings slowly.
In the fall, the black bear carries leaves into the darkness.
One question leads to another.
Does it have a shape? Like an iceberg?
Like the eye of a hummingbird?
Does it have one lung, like the snake and the scallop?
Why should I have it, and not the anteater
who loves her children?
Why should I have it, and not the camel?
Come to think of it, what about the maple trees?
What about the blue iris?
What about all the little stones, sitting alone in the moonlight?
What about roses, and lemons, and their shining leaves?
What about the grass?

Source: New and Selected Poems, Beacon Press (Boston, MA), 1992