Afternoon With Mary Oliver

A rainy beginning and then sun and very cool.
Shut all the outdoor vents.
First frost expected in the morning.
Spent some time going through my Mary Oliver books.
They number 12 and each one is special.
They almost look ragged with all the little papers
that mark some of  my favorite poems.

"Another morning and I wake with thirst
for the goodness I do not have.  I walk
out to the pond and all the way God has
given us such beautiful lessons, Oh Lord,
I was never a quick scholar but sulked
and hunched over the books past the
hour and the bell; grant me, in your mercy,
a little more time.  Love for the earth
and love for you are having such a long conversation
in my heart.
Who knows what will finally happen, or where I will
be sent, yet already I have given a great many
things away, expecting to be told to pack nothing,
except the prayers, which, with this thirst,
I am slowly learning"

Thirst ~~~ Mary Oliver~~~