<p>Apply for mentorship: <a href="https://www.danamariemusic.com/mentorship">https://www.danamariemusic.com/mentorship</a></p><br/><p><br/></p><br/><p>Follow Dana on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/love.danamarie/">⁠⁠@love.danamarie ⁠⁠</a></p><br/><p><br/></p><br/><p><strong>Egrets</strong><strong> by Mary Oliver</strong></p><br/><p><br/></p><br/><p>Where the path closed</p><br/><p>down and over,</p><br/><p>through the scumbled leaves,</p><br/><p>fallen branches,</p><br/><p>through the knotted catbrier,</p><br/><p>I kept going. Finally</p><br/><p>I could not</p><br/><p>save my arms</p><br/><p>from thorns; soon</p><br/><p>the mosquitoes</p><br/><p>smelled me, hot</p><br/><p>and wounded, and came</p><br/><p>wheeling and whining.</p><br/><p>And that&#39;s how I came</p><br/><p>to the edge of the pond:</p><br/><p>black and empty</p><br/><p>except for a spindle</p><br/><p>of bleached reeds</p><br/><p>at the far shore</p><br/><p>which, as I looked,</p><br/><p>wrinkled suddenly</p><br/><p>into three egrets - - -</p><br/><p>a shower</p><br/><p>of white fire!</p><br/><p>Even half-asleep they had</p><br/><p>such faith in the world</p><br/><p>that had made them - - -</p><br/><p>tilting through the water,</p><br/><p>unruffled, sure,</p><br/><p>by the laws</p><br/><p>of their faith not logic,</p><br/><p>they opened their wings</p><br/><p>softly and stepped</p><br/><p>over every dark thing.</p><br/><p><br/></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to The Poetry Apothecary at <a href="https://thepoetryapothecary.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">thepoetryapothecary.substack.com/subscribe</a>