FreeVerse: “Small Bodies” by Mary Oliver

So often, I think about participating in FreeVerse, a weekly meme hosted by Cara at Ooh…Books! on Wednesdays. And so often, Wednesday sneaks up on me and I think, “Darn it, it’s already Wednesday again and I don’t have a poem to post for FreeVerse!” Today, I brought one of my Mary Oliver books to work with me, Red Bird from 2008, skimmed through it, and decided to post a poem called “Small Bodies.” Then, I found out that although some of the restrictions of the recent change in our web filtering program have been loosened, and I’m able to read blogs with blogspot, typepad, or wordpress urls, when I typed in blogger.com to try to write a post, I got blocked. So here it is, about 8 1/2 hours later than I originally hoped to post it, but still technically Wednesday. Without further ado, a poem by the amazing and wonderful Mary Oliver.

Small Bodies

It is almost summer. In the pond
the pickerel leap, and the delicate teal have brought forth
their many charming young,
and the turtle is ravenous.
It is hard sometimes, oh Lord,
to be faithful.
I am more boldly made
than the little ducks, paddling and laughing.
But not so bold
as the turtle
with his greasy mouth.
I know you know everything –
I rely on this.
Still, there are so many small bodies in the world,
for which I am afraid.

— Mary Oliver