Sleeping in the Forest, a Poem by Mary Oliver

Today, I am reading one of my favorite poems by Mary Oliver called, "Sleeping in the Forest" and sharing some reflections on my connection to poetry during the pandemic and how nature is grounding me in my art practice.  Sleeping in the Forest by Mary Oliver, written in 1978 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. ----- Emma Freeman is an artist, writer, poet, Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner. She teaches online art and writing classes at www.deep-rooted-healing.com. She is a sober and a highly sensitive person. She lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.  Online creative classes: ⁠⁠www.deep-rooted-healing.com/classes⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠www.deep-rooted-healing.com⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/deeprootedhealing⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/deeprootedhealings⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@deeprootedhealing⁠