The letting go

to live in this world you must be able to do three things to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go

Mary Oliver - In Blackwater Woods

This is not the poem I had wanted to write about this week. I had thought to use a Djuna Barnes poem and talk about "wildness" versus "home". Or maybe go feministic and post a Glück poem about people being pigs.

Things turned out different.

This week my father died, quite unexpected.

While looking through poems for a quote on the card, I came across this one by Mary Oliver. It immediately struck me in its simpilicity and its truth. I love how you have to love mortality, love the world and not shy away from it because it's transient and everything in it must perish. But also how you have to be able to let go. Love it and let go, a very Buddhist thought.

My father loved life. He loved its rich pleasures: food, drink, music, nature, travel, friends. For us now is the letting go.

#thisweekinpoetry: Every week I look back at the past few days and try to find a poetic quote to match. Or maybe the other way around, I find good poetry and try to match the week with it. Whichever works.