August 11, 2023

Philip's Birthday

I gave, 
to a friend that I care for deeply,
something that I loved.
It was only a small

extremely shapely bone
that came from the ear
of a whale.
It hurt a little

to give it away.
The next morning
I went out, as usual, 
at sunrise,

and there, in the harbor,
was a swan.
I don’t know
what he or she was doing there,

but the beauty of it
was a gift.
Do you see what I mean?
You give, and you are given.

 

Mary Oliver, Evidence, (Beacon Press, 2009) 

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