August
-by Mary Oliver
When the blackberries hang
swollen in the woods, in the brambles
nobody owns, I spend
all day among the high
branches, reaching
my ripped arms, thinking
of nothing, cramming
the black honey of summer
into my mouth; all day my body
accepts what it is. In the dark
creeks that run by there is
this thick paw of my life darting among
the black bells, the leaves; there is
this happy tongue.
When I read this poem, it instantly made me picture a girl eating blackberries from a tree and I also thought that it would be nice to be in this poem since it's so cold out here. At first, I thought this poem was about Mary Oliver's personal experience when she was little, but then I thought that 'my life darting among the black bells' was a metaphor. I think she was trying to symbolize our life into blackberries and that we have to accept it as it is. I also think that she was picturing a day when we just relax and spend time thinking of our own life and enjoying it.
My questions are: 1) Do you have any other analysis of what Mary Oliver was trying to say? 2) Why do you think she picked blackberries to use as a symbol? 3) What do you think 'there is this happy tongue' mean?
