Mockingbird (in Response to Mary Oliver’s Daisies)

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Mockingbird (in response to Mary Oliver’s Daisies)



Sometimes I feel the universe mocks,
but the mockingbird—never
taunts, his ceaseless warbling, his songs
of love, not meant for me, yet he is a sedulous,
serenading suitor outside my window. I listen, not lovestruck,
yet strangely soothed by his sooth. A mockingbird
may pretend; he doesn’t lie. Nature tells the truth, even
if we don’t understand it. The daisies in the field
with their hearts open to the light, and the light that touches us,
even if we can’t see it. The truth, even if we have no answers,
have asked no questions. But then, there is a mockingbird singing
from a branch, and there are daisies in a field where none were yesterday.

This is a response to the mini prompt for dVerse Open Link Night. You can read Mary Oliver’s poem here.

52 thoughts on “Mockingbird (in Response to Mary Oliver’s Daisies)”

  3. I enjoyed this call-and-response poem very much. I read Mary Oliver’s poem as well to see how the poems speak to each other. These lines in particular stood out for me:

    “I listen, not lovestruck,
    yet strangely soothed by his sooth. A mockingbird
    may pretend; he doesn’t lie. Nature tells the truth, even
    if we don’t understand it.”

  4. This is really beautiful Merril, and full of Mary Oliver’s spirit as well. My mockingbird has not been around lately…I hope he will return soon. (K)

  8. Mocking birds and daisies, perfect subjects for your lovely poem, Merril, I especially like the sibiliant ‘sedulous, serenading suitor outside my window and ‘strangely soothed by his sooth’, and the comparison of the mockingbird and nature, both being truthful.  My favourite lines:

    ‘…But then, there is a mockingbird singing
    from a branch, and there are daisies in a field where none were yesterday.’

  10. To me, this is a poetic sandwich. The filling is “Nature tells the truth, even
    if we don’t understand it” along with the daisies and the light. The mockingbird is the two slices of bread as it introduces and concludes the theme. In other words, this is excellent!

  14. This is lovely, Merril. I wasn’t able to get to the link for Mary Oliver’s poem (our bitdefender blocked it). No matter, what you have shared is a simple true, isn’t it?

    We have very few mockingbirds here (I’ve never seen one).

      • My pleasure. They are like chickadees with longer tails 😉

        And yes, I did do that. I just wanted to tell you your link was being persnickety!

      • It works for me. Can you access it from the dVerse page?

        It does kind of look like a chickadee here, but they’re larger, with a longer beak and more slender. I love the tails though–and the long concerts this time of year. 🙂

  15. You unearthed a lot of memories in me today with this delightful poem … my grandmother used to whistle and sing “Listen to the Mockingbird” to me as she prepared early morning breakfast .. the many overnights I spent during long hot summers.

  16. This is such a thoughtful response to Mary Oliver’s “Daisies”. Looking back and forth at the poem, reading yours again….it’s like you channeled her spirit, her wisdom, her insight into the purity and truth of nature. I am hesitant to choose favourite lines because they are all so meaningful, so I won’t. Stunning work.

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