Morning Poem
Every morning
the world
is created.
Under the orange
sticks of the sun
the heaped
ashes of the night
turn into leaves again
and fasten themselves to the high branches —
and the ponds appear
like black cloth
on which are painted islands
of summer lilies.
If it is your nature
to be happy
you will swim away along the soft trails
for hours, your imagination
alighting everywhere.
And if your spirit
carries within it
the thorn
that is heavier than lead —
if it's all you can do
to keep on trudging —
there is still
somewhere deep within you
a beast shouting that the earth
is exactly what it wanted —
each pond with its blazing lilies
is a prayer heard and answered
lavishly,
every morning,
whether or not
you have ever dared to be happy,
whether or not
you have ever dared to pray.
— Mary Oliver, Dream Work
Les Bronstein: I have loved this poem ever since I discovered it in the marginalia of a Jewish
prayer book back in the early 90s. I'm certain that the editors of the prayer book thought this
profound statement of welcome to the new day expressed every bit as much about spirit, hope,
and gratitude as any of the formal prayers in the book, if not more so. I hope everyone will enjoy
it and find it uplifting (and prayerful!).
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