The poet Mary Oliver continues: “Or, is it tender and breakable, like the wings of a moth in the beak of the owl?” With these questions, Oliver opens the poem “Some Questions You Might Ask,” which has inspired artists, videographers, and hundreds of bloggers. During this Thanksgiving weekend, I am thankful for Oliver’s “bravery and boldness” and “largeness of spirit.” I am thankful for this rare poet who has found a large audience in addition to finding critical success. For those who wish to contemplate the nature of the soul, there may be no better guide than Mary Oliver.
Oliver, Mary. “Some Questions You Might Ask.” New and Selected Poems. Beacon Press, 1992, p. 65.