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
– Mary Oliver
Sometimes all it takes is a beautiful poem like this one to inspire me. After hearing this poem I sat down in the evening and worked all night on this image, finishing at 6 a.m. the following morning without any breaks. When I feel inspired, the pieces just come together so easily, seamlessly. Whereas when I begin a piece without being in ‘the zone’, I can often spend hours struggling on the smallest details. This poem is by far one of the most beautiful I have ever heard. It’s as though it is able to reach into the deepest part of my being, that part where no words exist, only deep primal feelings and yearnings. This poem somehow gives voice to that submerged inner place.
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