When I am Among the Trees | Day 47 (We made it!)

When I am Among the Trees

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, “It's simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”

-Mary Oliver, 2006

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Congratulations, friends! We made it through 47 days of poetry, and spring is finally here!

I had several false starts in writing about this poem. It turns out it’s much harder to write about a poem that was transformational to me than one I happen to enjoy.

I found this poem during a particularly dark time in college. My aunt had recently died, I’d just broken up with someone I loved, and though “depression” wasn’t a word I knew how to use, it cast a shadow over my days. It wasn’t only that I recognized myself in this poem — I felt swept away by it. Its simplicity is deceptive — there isn’t a word out of place. This poem cut through the darkness and reminded me of the only things I truly wanted: to bow often, to be filled with light, and to shine.

Sometimes a poem reaches you when nothing else can. This was that kind of poem for me.

As I wrap up this experience, I’m so grateful to you for reading along and sharing your thoughts, feedback, and stories. It’s been a delight to think and write about poetry every day and a joy to get to share it with you.

It turns out I’m not quite ready to quit, so I’ve decided to transition to a weekly poem starting next Sunday. If you’d like to keep getting these emails, no need to do anything other than stay subscribed.

As I’m planning ahead, I’d love to hear from you! What have you enjoyed in the past month, and want didn’t resonate? What are poems that you love that I might consider sharing in the future? You’re also welcome to share this with people in your life that you think might enjoy it. I’m hopeful that the weekly format will be more digestible for you as readers as well as for me.

Thank you, and happy Easter/April to you all!

Going easy,

Jess