Useful words

awake & reading : Good Poems- by Garrison Keillor | by Shaun O'Reilly

During a recent trip out of town - on the plane, and on all the public transit I took around the great city of Portland - I finally opened up and began to soak in the wonder of Garrison Keillor's selection of Good Poems.  I've had the book for a while, and only now really read much of what was in there.  Perhaps needless to say, it is a collection of absolute gems.  I can't put it down and I'm very interested to learn more about many of the poets I've never heard of.
So, in celebration, here's a poem I read on the plane and have read maybe 20 times since.  It is right on, within and beyond me. 

To be of Use    by Marge Piercy
 
The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real. 

(deep breath)
Reading this, I'm thankful for  friends that are awake; I hope and pray I am of use to them as well. 

Comments

[Richard Carpenter]

You are.

[Reagan Pugh]

Thank you for posting this.

[gulnaz]

such people make you feel happy in their presence, i'd like to be one of them.