Going back to The Word

Bouncing round the blogs the other day I came upon Jim Gordon's post http://livingwittily.typepad.com on the poet Mary Oliver.

I mentioned that I had had some of her prose entitled The Word read at my ordination and regularly returned to it for inspiration. He suggested I post the full thing on the anniversary of my ordination ... but as that is not until October and I am most unlikely to remember it then i thought I'd do it now.

This comes from her book 'What Do We Know' (2002).
and everytime I read it, it seems prophetic!

The Word
How wonderful! I speak of the soul and seven people rise from their chairs and leave the room, seven others lean forward to listen. I speak of the body, the spirit, the mockingbird, the hollyhock, leave opening in the rain, music, faith, angels seen at dusk ... and seven more people leave the room and are seen running down the road. Seven more stay where they are but make numerous disruptive sounds. Another seven hang their heads, feigning disinterest though their hearts are open, their hope is high that they will hear the word even again. The word is already, for them, the song in the forest. They know already how everything is better - the dark trees less terrible, the ocean less hungry - when it comes forth, and looks around with its crisp and lovely eye, and begins to sing.