Next Time
1963

Next time what I’d do is look at
the earth before saying anything. I’d stop
just before going into a house
and be an emperor for a minute
and listen better to the wind
or to the air being still.

When anyone talked to me, whether
blame or praise or just passing time,
I’d watch the face, how the mouth
has to work, and see any strain, any
sign of what lifted the voice.

And for all, I’d know more — the earth
bracing itself and soaring, the air
finding every leaf and feather over
forest and water, and for every person
the body glowing inside the clothes
like a light

Mary Oliver
Born: 10 September 1935, Ohio, USA
Nationality: American
Died: 17 January 2019, Florida, USA

Oliver was a poet and winner of the Nation Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Inspired by nature her work stems from a lifelong passion for solitary walks in the wild and is characterized by the poet’s sincere wonderment at the impact of natural imagery