Here is a poem you won’t want to miss. It’s called Sleeping in the Forest by Mary Oliver. Have you ever slept in the forest? I live in a forest, so I sleep there every night.
Sleeping in the Forest
by Mary Oliver
I thought the earth remembered me,
she took me back so tenderly,
arranging her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds.
I slept as never before, a stone on the river bed,
nothing between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths
among the branches of the perfect trees.
All night I heard the small kingdoms
breathing around me, the insects,
and the birds who do their work in the darkness.
All night I rose and fell, as if in water,
grappling with a luminous doom. By morning
I had vanished at least a dozen times
into something better.
from Sleeping In The Forest by Mary Oliver
I used to take my daughters camping in the mountains when they were younger, but now I live in a lovely forest in the same mountains and have no need to camp. Can you relate to this poem? Have you ever slept in a forest? As always, I’d love to hear from you.
P.S. I am an ex-shrink who writes award-winning novels. Check out my books here.
From one of our email subscribers:
“It takes me back too. Trees are some of my favourite beings, reaching toward the heavens above ground and toward the centre of the planet, below. They are why I love the forest. I love the emotion of Mary Oliver’s poetry as well. T.”
I’m not a fan of sleeping on the ground. I slept on a mountain top a couple of times as a teenager in just a sleeping bag (no tent). The last time I did it, it poured down rain, and my sleeping bag was not waterproof. Mountain tops are cold at night, even in the summer. Cold and soaking wet, I got hypothermia. I wasn’t really a fan of the experience before then, and that pretty much convinced me that I want a solid structure around me and a mattress. I’m quite the delicate flower! (Ha, you don’t really know me, but that’s funny, trust me.)
I like the poem though. You’re beginning to convince me to get one of Oliver’s collections.
Hi Sonja. I’m not real big on sleeping on the ground, either. And you certainly have a great reason not to be after getting hypothermia! That’s serious stuff. The older I get the more I like my creature comforts. (now I’m wondering the origin of that phrase!)I’m happy to have a “delicate flower” such as yourself as an internet friend.;)
P.S. Please forgive my overzealous spam filter. I don’t think it will do it again. I’m sorry to say I lost your comments for the previous two posts. Definitely our loss!