Paying Attention

Invitation


Oh do you have time
to linger
for just a little while
out of you busy


and very important day
for the goldfinches
that have gathered
in a field of thistles


for a musical battle,
to see who can sing 
the highest note,
or the lowest,


or the most expressive of mirth,
of the most tender?
Their strong, blunt beaks
drink the air


as they strive
melodiously
not for your sake
and not for mine


and not for the sake of winning
but for sheer delight and gratitude---
believe us, they say,
it is a serious thing


just to be alive 
on this fresh morning
in this broken world.
I beg of you,


do not walk by
without pausing
to attend to this
rather ridiculous performance.


It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
You must change your life.


                                  by Mary Oliver