“Mockingbirds”
by Mary Oliver
This morning
two mockingbirds
in the green field
were spinning and tossing
the white ribbons
of their songs
into the air.
I had nothing
better to do
than listen.
Read the rest of the poem here.
Please be sure to visit Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche for the Poetry Friday Roundup.
Reading to the Core 
Gosh, I needed this. So beautiful. The white ribbons of their songs…to Greece to opening my dark doors. So lovely and profound. Thank you for sharing this today.
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Mary Oliver is the master. The link up is ready now. Yes, I forgot …again. (slaps forehead) There is another mockingbird poem by Mary Oliver that I love. I want to go find it. I think it’s in A Thousand Mornings. Found it here: http://www.jupiterjenkins.com/poems-by-mary-oliver/
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To lean out and to listen – that’s the path ahead for all of us.
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So beautiful, “they rose
out of their mortal bodies,
like a million particles of water
from a fountain”.
If only our kindnesses found the best homes.
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I agree with Tara. Such a great poem to share as we head into the summer season. I plan to be singing with the mockingbirds for sure!
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Yes, listening to the choir of birds is a worthwhile use of our energy – thank you for the reminder. =)
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Hadn’t seen this one. Gorgeous poem. Listening is a gift too few are willing to give.
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These quiet moments of calm and reflection can be so hard to find sometimes, but are so, so, so very necessary.
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There are some here, but when I really saw them was in Missouri growing up. This is lovely, Catherine.
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Like those mockingbirds, Mary Oliver is always worth a good listen.
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Mary Oliver is a welcome addition to any day. This one makes me remember the spring I didn’t stop to listen. It wasn’t until I went camping one weekend that I realized I had not heard any birds sing all spring. Ever since that year, I try to stop and listen whenever I can. My life does not need to be in such a hurry that I miss it.
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What a moment. What a reminder to BE.
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Thanks for sharing, Catherine – it’s a beautiful poem, of course, but I always felt like it was also perfect with just those first 3 stanzas.
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I love how the lines in Mary Oliver’s poems flow one into the other as you move through the space! And the poem grows in what ever direction or path she takes you on, thanks!
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“I was hurrying/ through my own soul” — I feel this way sometimes. Being outside, listening helps. (P.S. We have a mockingbird who visits our yard. He has quite a repertoire!)
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This is lovely, Catherine. Mary Oliver is always a breath of fresh air and never fails to remind me to pay attention and simply be. I needed that in the frenzy of these final weeks of school. Thank you.
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