A Very Mary Oliver Double Golden Shovel
With lines from “From the Book of Time” beginning
“I rose this morning early as usual and went to my desk,” and ending “and I am thinking maybe just looking and listening is the real work.” This is my debut golden shovel, and small-screen devices must be turned sideways to see the vertical lines formatted correctly.
The Real Work: Looking and Listening
I begin each day with pen in hand and
rose to set the tone today (I,
this day and every day, am
morning-ready to begin the journey thinking
early – when the mind is sharpest – maybe
as a blessing, perhaps as a curse – just
usual patterns of noticing, looking,
and pondering, considering words) and
went for coffee first, now sit listening
to the wisdom of Mary, who is
my soul poet, reminding me that the
desk at the office is not life’s real
work.
Common Threads 