HOW TO GO TO THE WOODS
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
unbearable sound of the roses singing.
If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love you very much.
Mary Oliver