The Swan … By Mary Oliver
Did you too see it , drifting ,
all night , on the black river ?
Did you see it in the
morning , rising into the
silvery air ?
An armful of white blossoms ,
Bill Ecklund photography
A perfect commotion of silk
and linen as it leaned into
the bondage of its wings ; a
snowbank , a bank of lilies ,
Biting the air with its black beak ?
Did you hear it , fluting and
whistling – a shrill dark
music – like the rain pelting
the trees – like a waterfall
Knifing down the black ledges ?
And did you see it , finally ,
just under the clouds – A
white cross streaming across
the sky , its feet – like black
leaves , it’s wings – like the
stretching light of the river ?
Photos of Florence Welch from her Facebook Timeline photos
And did you feel it , in your
heart , how it pertained to
everything ? And have you
too finally figured out what
beauty is for ?
And have you changed your
life ?
Lara Zankoul photography
In honor of two spiritual teachers … for their inspirations when I lived in Eastsound …their examples of divine love like the soaring wings of the swan singing to me even now in the “stretching light” crossing the Black Sea of Bulgaria . I am grateful .
Dick Staub : founder and director at The Kindlings ( C.S.Lewis ) , pastor at the community church and author .
Aaravindha Himadra : teacher of spiritual awakening and truth-knowledge ( Sambodha ) and author of “Immortal Self ”
Katerina Plotnikova Photography
” The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands , but in seeing with new eyes “. Marcel Proust
