It’s comfortably cold here-
Winter birds have all come-
The pond is full
With water, tree-shadows and fish-
The blue sky seems dreamy,
So are the night stars-
Things of beauty,
Scattered everywhere
Like a Mary Oliver page-
Yet there’s an uncanny calm-
Where’s the ecstasy gone
With the “luminous fruits”,
“emerald eddies”, “lean owls”
“egrets”, “daisies” and all……
When I close my eyes
I see ‘red’
What’s burning, methinks-
A fire in a forest in a faraway land
Or a heart?
An ear of mine catches a note-
Is it a dirge in the woods?
May be-
A poet is gone-
Words in inverted commas are from Mary Oliver’s Poems
Posted for Poetry Pantry #436 @ Poets United
sumanar/lekha 
.jpg){kind=link}
This is a work of art, Sumana. I wonder too – who will write about all the things she wrote about now that she is gone! There definitely must be a dirge playing in the woods – somewhere- now that she has passed. She was a poet like no other!
And all at once a warm world seems colder because of her absence. Touching.
There she is, Mary Oliver, right there in the midst of all your glorious images. Thank you for the sighting!
That ending, Sumana! We got our first big snowfall in a while. It made me wonder… if Nature is mourning a child that celebrated Her so well.
Yes, absence is so tangible. Love this tribute.
Sumana, this is BEAUTIFUL! I love how you wove Mary Oliver’s words with your own. I especially love the red that is a heart! I absolutely love this poem.
Sumana this is utterly stunning! 💞I love how you weave the images that remind us of Mary Oliver and honour her memory. A gem of a poem! 🙂
What’s burning, methinks-
A fire in a forest in a faraway land
Or a heart?
—- this is such a wonderfully startling image, after the cascade through the landscape …. and it is filled with a tenderness that is startling, yet oh so beautiful ….
lovely poem and a wonderful way to celebrate a poet’s life and consider the legacy – while creating your own body of words, in your unique voice 🙂
Oh I think she will live on… and sometimes it’s poets like you that will continue to whisper the beauty of nature.
Luv the scattering of stars in the night sky. How beautifully you have celebrated the life of Mary Oliver.
Happy Sunday
Much💖💖💖 love
This is lovely, the echoes that find themselves in these lines.
What a beautiful tribute to Mary Oliver.
How well this honoured Mary Oliver, Sumana. Your poem is a most beautiful read.
Excellent!
Tender tribute to the late Mary Oliver. Extremely well written Sumana!
Beautifully rendered. Poignant and impactful. Left a shiver as it fluttered from the screen.
A touching tribute! I like how you have incorporated words from her poem. You have immortalized her through your creation.
She may be gone but her words linger on!
“Things of beauty,
Scattered everywhere
Like a Mary Oliver page-” She sure did expand our ways of seeing!
And I, too, have seen red at her departure. No poem yet, though.
Sadly. Nicely captured.
Mary Oliver would love this – as I do- Beautifully crafted and intriguing from the very first line and use of ‘comfortably’ which contrasts with the ending dirge
Beautiful words
Really enjoyed this tribute Sumana. Have only recently become acquainted with Mary Oliver’s poetry and love it. Thanks for sharing! I am a Life Coach with a passion for poetry and have a poetry blog here on WordPress in case you have time to read? http://www.peacockpoetryblog.wordpress.com You can also follow me on Instagram #coachingcreatively in case you use this platform? Have a good Monday! Sam 🙂
What a beautiful tribute – so perfectly catching the loss we all feel.