<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Morning Poem </div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Every morning</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">the world</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">is created. </div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Under the orange</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">sticks of the sun</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">the heaped</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">ashes of the night</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">turn into leaves again</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">and fasten themselves to the high branches ---</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">and the ponds appear</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">like black cloth</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">on which are painted islands</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">of summer lilies. </div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">If it is your nature</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">to be happy</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">you will swim away along the soft trails</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">for hours, your imagination</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">alighting everywhere. </div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">And if your spirit</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">carries within it</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">the thorn</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">that is heavier than lead ---</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">if it's all you can do</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">to keep on trudging ---</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">there is still</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">somewhere deep within you</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">a beast shouting that the earth</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">is exactly what it wanted ---</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">each pond with its blazing lilies</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">is a prayer heard and answered</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">lavishly, </div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">every morning, </div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 17px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">whether or not</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">you have ever dared to be happy, </div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">whether or not</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">you have ever dared to pray. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Mary Oliver</div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 16px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div></body></html>