I stole a few late-night minutes tonight to record and share the wonder and beauty of one of my favorite poems by Mary Oliver called “Mindful”.

If you have a minute (literally about one minute), listen by clicking the Play button below. Ahhh.

OR right-click photo and “Save Link As” to your computer and enjoy the Ms. Oliver’s radiant poem on your MP3 player.

Mindful

by Mary Oliver ~from her beautiful collection of poems entitled, Why I Wake Early

 Every day
I see or hear
something
that more or less

 kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle

 in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for –
to look, to listen,

 to lose myself
inside this soft world –
to instruct myself
over and over

 in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,

 the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant –
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,

 the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help

 but grow wise
with such teachings
as these —
the untrimmable light

 of the world,
the ocean’s shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?

poem by Mary Oliver
photo of my luminous daughters, shackleford banks, nc  © 2012 becky jaine

lots and lots of ♥ from your friend who’s totally lost inside this soft world …