I rarely buy poetry books. But this weekend I picked up Mary Oliver's "A Thousand Mornings" while browsing in the wonderful Paulina Springs bookstore in Sisters, Oregon.
Thumbing through the pages, I came to Extending the Airport Runway. After I read it, with moistness in my eyes, I knew that I had to buy the book.
Tomorrow the Salem City Council likely will approve going ahead with an giant unneeded $700 million Third Bridge across the Willamette.
The City of Salem also approved killing five large, healthy, beautiful trees in downtown Salem for no good reason.
And the City also wants to put parking meters in downtown Salem, along with doubling the parking tax on struggling downtown small businesses while letting large downtown retailers off the hook.
The City of Salem has lost its soul. Mary Oliver is speaking to you, city officials.
-------------------------------
Extending the Airport Runway
The good citizens of the commission
cast their votes
for more of everything.
Very early in the morning
I go out
to the pale dunes, to look over
the empty spaces
of the wilderness.
For something is there,
something is there when nothing is there but itself,
that is not there when anything else is.
Alas,
the good citizens of the commission
have never seen it,
whatever it is,
formless, yet palpable.
Very shining, very delicate.
Very rare.
Comments