Yes! No!
by: Mary Oliver
How necessary it is to have opinions! I think the spotted trout lilies are satisfied, standing a few inches above the earth. I think serenity is not something you just find in the world, like a plum tree, holding up its white petals.
The violets, along the river, are opening their blue faces, like small dark lanterns.
The green mosses, being so many, are as good as brawny.
How important it is to walk along, not in haste but slowly, looking at everything and calling out.
Yes! No! The
swan, for all his pomp, his robes of glass and petals, wants only to be allowed to live on the nameless pond. The catbrier is without fault. The water thrushes, down among the sloppy rocks, are going crazy with happiness. Imagination is better than a sharp instrument. To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.
The first line of this poem says it all: it is necessary to have opinions. Oliver wants to share her beliefs about the world, and for the rest of the stanzas, that's what she does. She calls attention to ideas she holds dear.
I have opinions. Anybody who personally knows me knows that I'm opinionated. Sometimes obnoxiously so. Oliver's poem is a list of her opinions, right down to her last sentence: "To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work."
I try to avoid expressing too many opinions in my blog posts. One of my father's favorite sayings was, "Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one." Scroll through Facebook if you want to witness the truth of this statement. So, I'm very careful about with whom I share my opinions, lest I look like an asshole. Tonight, however, I'm going to express a few of my opinions, but I will try to avoid topics that deal with politics or religion.
Here goes . . .
The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie ever made.
I prefer Captain Kirk to Captain Picard.
Poetry and art and music can save your life.
Climate change is real. Ask the polar bears.
Jesus was a person of color who hung out with hookers, lepers, and tax collectors.
My puppy is the sweetest, smartest, prettiest dog ever.
Rain is better than snow, but snow is pretty cool, too.
The best Billy Joel song is "Captain Jack." Listen to it.
The guy standing outside Walmart holding a sign ("Haven't eaten in three days") is an angel.
So is the lady at the Taco Bell drive-thru who gives my puppy treats every Sunday morning.
Both my kids are way smarter than me.
Baja Blast Zero is the best Mountain Dew flavor ever.
The pandemic was real. Facemasks worked. Vaccines saved hundreds of thousands of lives. (Again, this is science, not politics.)
Politicians are not scientists. Neither are religious leaders.
I used to believe in Bigfoot when I was a kid. Now I believe in wonder.
Bigfoot and wonder are the same thing.
Tonight, when I go to bed, I will lie awake for a while and listen to my wife's breaths, counting them like starfish on a beach.
Paying attention is our endless and proper work. So is love.
Love is love is love.
Here endeth Saint Marty's lesson for tonight.
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