No One Can Ruin Mary Oliver

No one can ruin Mary Oliver. 

Not even his bluster 

demanding me to 

 

justify every feeling, 

and every moment 

of my existence 

 

can take away 

the tiniest gasp 

of her breathless love affair 

with all that is lovely 

and alive. 

 

She writes in a key 

I know how to sing along to 

and there I am 

in love 

with the world again, 

 

remembering 

this is why I keep singing. 

 

Someone once asked me 

where do I go 

when it all presses in on me. 

 

And of course, I answer, “books”, 

but that’s only half the story. 

 

The answer is

all the stories, 

any story,

every word 

 

that wakes me up to the fact 

that joy still has places 

it can take root in. 

 

And no one can

sow joy 

quite like she does. 

Photo by Drew Colins on Unsplash

Song Choice: Vivir La Vida, but especially how Maria Hinojosa is using it in this Instagram clip.

Liner Notes for This Groove: This poem is linked to Poets and Storytellers United's Friday Writing.