Percy wakes me (fourteen) Percy wakes me and I am not ready. He has slept all night under the covers. Now he’s eager for action: a walk, then breakfast. So I hasten up. He is sitting on the kitchen counter Where he is not supposed to be. How wonderful you are, I say. How clever, if you Needed me, To wake me. He thought he would a lecture and deeply His eyes begin to shine. He tumbles onto the couch for more compliments. He squirms and squeals: he has done something That he needed And now he hears that it is okay. I scratch his ears. I turn him over And touch him everywhere. He is Wild with the okayness of it. Then we walk, then He has breakfast, and he is happy. This is a poem about Percy. This is a poem about more than Percy. Think about it.
Mary Oliver
Related What's the deal? Why can't he look into my eyes when I have words of appreciation lined u... TANYA GAMBHIR I visit him a few times downtown while he paints. We talk about how he's going to Spain SAMANTHA SCHUTZ For five years I didn't think it was possible to be this happy. But then he forgot all those pr... TERRY MCMILLAN Percy and Books Percy does not like it when I read a book. He puts his face over th... MARY OLIVER LITTLE DOGS RHAPSODY IN THE NIGHT (PERCY THREE) He puts his cheek against mine ... MARY OLIVER Fireworks. Snowflakes. Sunstroke and frostbite. It was all that I could ask for an... ELLEN HOPKINS Listen to me. When a man wakes, he wakes wanting. He wakes hard and rude and aching with need.” He... TESSA DARE He is deaf, and keen to accept, any economical operation, that will correct his situation.... JASLEEN KAUR GUMBER A POCKET-SIZED GIRL He keeps me in his pocket for a rainy day; he swears I'm ... COCO J. GINGER But we're not sleeping," he points out. "well, I would be," I say, "if you would let me off the... LAUREN BARNHOLDT Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines he wrote a poem And he called it "Chops"... STEPHEN CHBOSKY I feel his arm Lightly Over me. He takes one of my outstretched hands. Draws i... STASIA WARD KEHOE it's not his body that changes right away. it's something inside. he says h... DAVID LEVITHAN The cat's asleep; I whisper "kitten" Till he stirs a little and begins to purr-- He doesn'... RANDALL JARRELL He Is Not Dead I cannot say, and I will not say That he is dead. He is just away. JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY So, have we solved the secret of happiness? "I believe so," he said Are you go... MITCH ALBOM This is what it's all been about with you," he said in an even tone. "All the fear, all the run... KRESLEY COLE I love a man who tickles me awake with reality, and kisses me goodnight with fiction Braids my ... YESENIA BARKLEY Life is but a Weaving” (the Tapestry Poem) “My life is but a weaving Between my ... CORRIE TEN BOOM Megan, I love you,. I will always love you." I swallowed hard. "Scared?" He asked. "Y... ELIZABETH CHANDLER You remind me of a boy I used to know Same Smile, same easy, laid-back style And man, coul... MALORIE BLACKMAN Portia followed after, a smirk on her face, and Syc hissed as he passed. Donegan waited till th... DEREK LANDY I am the slave of the Master of Prophets And my fealty to him has no beginning. I am... يوسف النبهاني I that in heill was and gladnèss Am trublit now with great sickness And feblit with infir... WILLIAM DUNBAR You have heard about the reindeer that pull old Santa's sled. But mostly I hate Rudolph and wi... MARK W. BOYER Juliette,” he says. “Yes?” I can hear him breathing. “Thank... TAHEREH MAFI Percy, let me go" she croaked. "You can't pull me up." His face was white with effort. She coul... RICK RIORDAN How would you like it if I said to you, 'It kills me to say this, but you're actually a tiny bit bea... MELINA MARCHETTA You understand why you must go through with this marriage.” “You say you couldn’t live wi... JESSICA KHOURY Every spring I hear the thrush singing in the glowing woods he is only passing throug... MARY OLIVER The poet dreams of the classroom I dreamed I stood up in class And I said aloud... MARY OLIVER Okay," I said, "what's your biggest fear?" As always, he took a second to think about the answe... SARAH DESSEN The sweetness of dogs (fifteen) What do you say, Percy? I am thinking of sitting ou... MARY OLIVER WHAT DADDY WOULD HAVE DONE First he would have listened intently which one could always t... URSULA DENISE WALKER Daniel, he said. I would have you follow me. Master!....I will fight for you to the end!.... ELIZABETH GEORGE SPEARE Hello? This is Clary Fairchild.” “Clary? It’s me, Emma.” “Oh, Emma, ... CASSANDRA CLARE he placed his hands on my mind before reaching for my waist my hips or my l... RUPI KAUR Thanks,” I muttered and added under my breath, “Douchebag.” He laughed, deep and th... JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT This Stone He went looking for a road that doesn't lead to death. He went looki... URSULA K. LE GUIN Do you think you might be able to love me someday?" He asked and heard her laugh softly. ... JASMINE DUBROFF He sipped again, more deeply. “Is this an interrogation, Lieutenant?” It was the smile in his vo... J.D. ROBB And recite to them the news of Abraham When he said to his father and his people: What do you ... QURAN Had he and I but met By some old ancient inn, We should have sat us down to wet Right many ... THOMAS HARDY Buckley followed the three of them into the kitchen and asked, as he had at least once a day, “Whe... ALICE SEBOLD I’m sorry,” he tells me. I sit down on the bed. He returns to the view of the street ... COURTNEY SUMMERS When it happens and it hits hard, we decide certain things, and realize there's truth in all those d... DAVE MATTHES The captain put his fingers to his temples as if he had a headache. “So, let me get this straight.... RICHELLE E. GOODRICH No milk," I said. "No milk," said my sister. I watched my dad think about this... NEIL GAIMAN Marry me, Rachel.' 'Not yet.' 'Tomorrow, Rachel. Marry me.' 'Maybe ... EMMA RICHLER Two of us in this room, Ace, two keycards," he said and my eyes went to him. When they did, he jerke... KRISTEN ASHLEY I am so lonely without you, Aedan," Jane said simply. "You truly want me?" "Mo... KAREN MARIE MONING He looks at me. His face is dotted with raindrops but I think there are tears too. 'I love her... SALLY GREEN About the library," he whispered. He took out the pencil stub from his pocket and poised it over the... LAURA WHITCOMB My faceless neighbor spoke up: “Don’t be deluded. Hitler has made it clear that he wi... ELIE WIESEL Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him; WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Start by pulling him out of the fire and hoping that he will forget the smell. He was supp... CAITLYN SIEHL He responded a few minutes later. Okay. I wrote back. Okay. JOHN GREEN He's a clever little thing, isn't he?" She leaned in to drop a kiss on the kitten's soft head, ... MICHELLE ZINK He moves suddenly so that his hand is cupping my sex, and one of his fingers sinks slowly into me. H... E.L. JAMES And he leans in, so carefully. Breathing and not breathing and hearts beating between us a... TAHEREH MAFI It's asking us our names," Falkor reported. "I'm Atreyu!" Atreyu cried. "I'm F... MICHAEL ENDE Tell me it's not true." He sighed. "Fine. It's not true." ... And yet... "Are yo... KATHLEEN PEACOCK 18. Your life is before you. Be careful of the choices you make now that you could regret later. Thi... JAMES C. DOBSON You’ll have sweet dreams?” he asked quietly and sounding like he cared, a lot. God b... KRISTEN ASHLEY What do you want to show me?" "Nothing, really. I just want to be alone with you for a mi... RAINBOW ROWELL He is sorry- For everything- For Prentisstown- For Viola- For Ben- F... PATRICK NESS Perplext in faith, but pure in deeds, At last he beat his music out. There lives more fait... ALFRED TENNYSON Of course he freaked me out. Of course it's nothing to do with me. But none of that matt... EMMA FORREST She stared into his eyes and announced, “A good-bye kiss.” It was at that Raid stopped dead... KRISTEN ASHLEY When a man spends his own money to buy something for himself, he is very careful about how much ... MILTON FRIEDMAN The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on. He took a face from the ancient gallery THE DOORS I read your poem," I croaked. "'Fall.'" Then something I never thought would happen, happened: ... MEGAN MCCAFFERTY Have you seen my daughter?” “Daughter?” I’m the worst liar ever. I stare at Sarah... SUZANNE YOUNG The Son of God perishes that we may not perish. He rises that we may rise. Tha... DAVID HOLDSWORTH Two hundred Romans, and no one’s got a pen? Never mind!" He slung his M16 onto his bac... RICK RIORDAN Whenever Percy stopped by to see [Annabeth], she was so lost in thought that the conversation went s... RICK RIORDAN The Doors The End This is the end, beautiful friend This is the end, my ... JIM MORRISON You are real," she said to herself. "Aye." His voice was deep and resonant, a caress in h... J.R. WARD He fixed his dark eyes on her. 'I am Kekrops, the first and eternal king of Athens. I would welcome ... RICK RIORDAN The Knowing Afterwards, when we have slept, paradise- comaed and woken, we lie a l... SHARON OLDS It Couldn't Be Done Somebody said that it couldn't be done, But he with a chuckle repli... EDGAR A. GUEST You say that your fare told you that he was a detective?" "Yes, he did." "When did he say ... ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE You wanted to live," he says. "You say that like it's a good thing. A virtue." STEPHANIE KUEHN When words run dry, he does not try, nor do I. We are on par. He jus... LANG LEAV He tried to measure his day by tallying the hours on his wrist. I wiped it off and called... KAMAND KOJOURI You adopted him," I said when Romeo sat on the coffee table in front of me. "You love him," he ... CAMBRIA HEBERT On the late afternoon streets, everyone hurries along, going about their own business. Wh... VERA NAZARIAN Angel clicked on a few more pictures on the screen, and Alex made small talk about the place. Then h... ELIZABETH REYES England once there lived a big And wonderfully clever pig. To everybody it was plain ... ROALD DAHL What is it about ye, Sassenach, I wonder?” he said conversationally, eyes still fixed on Myers. DIANA GABALDON I love you.” I stared stupidly at him. Was he joking again, reciting another line from ... JENNIFER ECHOLS I gave, at first, attention close; Then interest warm ensued; From interest, as improvem... CHARLOTTE BRONTë You’re stuck,” I blurted, his grin died and he blinked. “Come again?” I swallowed,... KRISTEN ASHLEY I have no idea how he knows when I need him. We can go weeks without speaking, and then, when my blu... DAVID LEVITHAN A Faint Music by Robert Hass Maybe you need to write a poem about grace. ROBERT HASS I promise I'll never tell." "Don't promise that," he said in an ultraserious voice. "If t... JERI SMITH-READY THE OLD MAN IN THE CORNER The man in the corner Is dying with words He's crying... SUZY KASSEM You cold or something?' he said. She strained against him; she wanted to pass clear through him: 'It... TRUMAN CAPOTE Jeez, Hazel," Percy said, "tell your horse to watch his language." Hazel tried not to laugh. "W... RICK RIORDAN Please," he says. "I'm begging you to stop." I still. "I can't stomach your p... TAHEREH MAFI
More Mary Oliver
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MARY OLIVER The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own ... MARY OLIVER You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles thro... MARY OLIVER TIDES Every day the sea blue gray green lavender pulls away leaving the harbor’s dark-cobbled unde... MARY OLIVER Percy and Books Percy does not like it when I read a book. He puts his face over th... MARY OLIVER I don't think any responsible performer would go on stage high. If he convinced himself he is better... OLIVER I don't try to analyze my style now or I might lose it. Right now it's automatic and I don't want to... OLIVER I think some entertainers have been very irresponsible in their part in making drug use a fad among ... OLIVER I wouldn't say I'm happy, but I look at things in a soft way. I try to convey more personal interact... OLIVER My job is to entertain people by playing my music well. You shouldn't really be upset because people... OLIVER I like working alone. I feel freer, less constrained. I know what I have to do and I try to do it. T... OLIVER My family is from Liverpool, so I have some of those vowel sounds, I've got the slack tone of so... JOHN OLIVER I challenge you, to go to any school and open 50 lunchboxes, and I guarantee you there will be one o... JAMIE OLIVER If a man has lost a leg or an eye, he knows he has lost a leg or an eye; but if he has lost a self -... OLIVER SACKS The moment I accept that there's an artistic, redeeming quality in puns, I have a horrible feeli... JOHN OLIVER I think puns are not just the lowest form of wit, but the lowest form of human behavior. JOHN OLIVER I've met people who will go to a movie that I can't stand and they say that they saw that mo... OLIVER STONE I think that many people in history who had power were bumped off because they had power. OLIVER STONE You do the best job you can. You take it step by step. It's hard enough to make a movie. If it w... 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