May 14: "A Lesson from James Wright," Poem Occasions, "Hamilton"

Mary Oliver writes a poem about a poem . . . 

A Lesson from James Wright

by:  Mary Oliver

If James Wright

could put in his book of poems

a blank page

dedicated to "the Horse David

Who Ate One of My Poems," I am ready

to follow him along

the sweet path he cut

through the dryness

and suggest that you sit now

very quietly

in some lovely wild place, and listen

to the silence.

And I say this, too,

is a poem

Life sometimes gives you poem occasions.  A horse eating a piece of paper.  Silence in some lovely wild place.  Tapioca pudding made by your mother.  

Today was Mother's Day in the United States.  My Facebook feed was flooded by pictures of mothers:  living mothers, deceased mothers, mother figures, expectant mothers.  It was literally a mother-palooza on social media.

I'm not complaining.  All mothers deserve that kind of acknowledgement, respect, and love.  I lost my mother about a year-and-a-half ago, and I still miss her every day.  She was my biggest cheerleader and, sometimes, critic, when needed, always pushing me to be the best person I could be.  She gave me more poem occasions than I can count.

I tried to give my wife and family some unforgettable poem occasions this weekend.  We went to the Houdini Museum in Appleton, Wisconsin.  My son got to go to a trampoline park.  I bought my daughter some clothes.  My wife purchased a new pair of shoes.  We ate steak and sushi and Crumbl Cookies.

However, the biggest poem occasion happened just a little while ago.  We went to see Hamilton.  It's my daughter's favorite musical, and I think it was a dream come true for her.  She sent me a text just a little bit ago:  "most amazing weekend ever."

I have never made that much money in my life.  Haven't been able to take my family to Europe or Jamaica or Hawaii.  Or give my wife expensive jewelry.  Or send my daughter to an Ivy League university.  Or set aside college money for my son.  Life just hasn't allowed me to shower the most important people in my life with that kind of extravagance.

This Mother's Day, however, Saint Marty gave his family some experiences that could be poems.