Luke
by Mary Oliver
I had a dog
who loved flowers.
Briskly she went
through the fields,
yet paused
for the honeysuckle
or the rose,
her dark head
and her wet nose
touching
the face
of every one
with its petals
of silk,
with its fragrance
rising
into the air
where the bees,
their bodies
heavy with pollen,
hovered—
and easily
she adored
every blossom,
not in the serious,
careful way
that we choose
this blossom or that blossom—
the way we praise or don’t praise—
the way we love
or don’t love—
but the way
we long to be—
that happy
in the heaven of earth—
that wild, that loving.
I had a dog
who loved flowers.
Briskly she went
through the fields,
yet paused
for the honeysuckle
or the rose,
her dark head
and her wet nose
touching
the face
of every one
with its petals
of silk,
with its fragrance
rising
into the air
where the bees,
their bodies
heavy with pollen,
hovered—
and easily
she adored
every blossom,
not in the serious,
careful way
that we choose
this blossom or that blossom—
the way we praise or don’t praise—
the way we love
or don’t love—
but the way
we long to be—
that happy
in the heaven of earth—
that wild, that loving.
Run in Peace in your new heaven, Ara dog,
gentle friend and companion,
family member, just six years old.
indiscriminate:) and well for it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know this poem. I am happy to have met it.
xo
erin
Oh that's a good word: indiscriminate.
DeleteSo sorry to hear about Ara. Nothing is worse than the passing of a beloved family pet/member. The poem reminds us, however, of how much we learn from dogs, even when their lives are brief.
ReplyDeleteThank you, George. It is hard. Andrea was finally not working, preparing for the arrival of her baby, and home with Ara for the first time. All was so good—a new house, with a big back yard, fenced in, where Ara could explore in her heaven. She was young, but she must have had a brain tumor or something, for she had seizures all night, and they had to put her down. We are grieving over the sweetest being, such a dear companion.
DeleteYes, I am saddened to hear of the loss of your dear dog-friend, so young! It leaves such an impact, I know... I love the line: "...but the way we long to be - that happy in the heaven of earth, that wild, that loving..." What lessons we receive from our beloved pets... Peace to you!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Christine. Your comforting words are welcome. I can't believe she is gone, the best dog I've known. They offer us something humans can't.
DeleteIn thinking about the youth of Ara, she reminds me of how often we lose "the best" when they are still young. To think one's life can be "finished" and "well-done" by then is quite sobbering....
ReplyDeleteTous les amoureux des animaux de compagnie peuvent se retrouver dans ce beau poeme
ReplyDeletethe way we praise or don’t praise—
the way we love
or don’t love—
but the way
we long to be—
that happy
in the heaven of earth—
that wild, that loving.
Merci
I'm grateful for this poem. Pets teach us so much and become such a part of our families. I see them as grace and blessing, as this poem describes. We still cherish the memories and retell the stories of our dogs' lives with them long gone. The photo of Ara with James is dear.
ReplyDelete