The Sunday Paws: #7

Or Mary Oliver's Mornings at Blackwater

It has been a while since I shared a photograph of one or both of my tiny tigers, coupled with an encouragement to pause. On Saturday morning, my partner and I read a wonderful poem from Mary Oliver’s collection Red Bird—we are still working through it and took short detours to enjoy Dickinson, Stevens, and Whitman, too—titled “Mornings at Blackwater.” I share it below.

Wilbur has enjoyed mornings in front of the large windows in the living space, occasionally catching sight of a few deer grazing outside. He understands the importance of pausing. If only his still-kitten brother, Ozni, would learn this sooner rather than later!

Anyway, here is Mary Oliver’s poem, followed by an amusing photograph of Wilbur. Enjoy this Sunday, your week, and please remember to pause.

For years, every morning, I drank
from Blackwater Pond.
It was flavored with oak leaves and also, no doubt,
the feet of ducks.

And always it assuaged me
from the dry bowl of the very far past.

What I want to say is
that the past is the past,
and the present is what your life is,
and you are capable
of choosing what that will be,
darling citizen.

So come to the pond,
or the river of your imagination,
or the harbor of your longing,

and put your lips to the world.
And live
your life.

Wilbur and the deer / O-An Zendo

If you enjoyed this offering, you may enjoy the following, too:

Master Mayu Waves His Fan

The Sunday Paws: #6

The Sunday Paws: #5