How I Go to the Woods
By: Mary Oliver
“Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single friend,
for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore unsuitable.
I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds or
hugging the old black oak tree.
I have my way of praying, as you no doubt have yours.
Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit
on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds,
until the foxes run by unconcerned. I can hear the almost
unhearable sound of the roses singing.
If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love
you very much.”