When Death Comes - Mary Oliver - Mindfulness Association

Skip to content

Do You Need Support With Attending a Course?

Join Membership

Members Login

Apps

Store

Facebook page opens in new windowInstagram page opens in new windowLinkedin page opens in new windowYouTube page opens in new window

• Mindfulness Courses
  • About our Mindfulness Courses
  • 4 Level Mindfulness Pathway
  • Level 1 – Mindfulness
  • Level 2 – Compassion
  • Level 3 – Insight
  • Level 4 – Wisdom
  • MSc Studies in Mindfulness
  • All Courses and Retreats
  • Mindfulness Retreats
  • Ongoing Courses
  • Online Mindfulness Courses by Email
    • Free Online Introduction to Mindfulness
    • Introduction to Mindfulness
    • Introduction to Compassion Course
    • Introduction to Insight
• Themed Courses
  • Personal Development
    • Compassion in Action (Edinburgh)
    • Compassion in Nature
    • Equanimity Weekend (Edinburgh)
    • Living Well to Die Well (Dumfries or Online)
    • Managing Anger (Online)
    • Managing Anxiety: In Life and Meditation (Online)
    • Mindfulness in Nature Introduction Weekend (Dumfries)
    • Mindfulness in Nature
    • Mindfulness Meets Mystical Poetry (Online)
    • Mindful Qigong (Online)
    • Yoga and Qigong Weekend (Dumfries)
    • Trauma Informed Mindfulness for Practitioners (Online)
  • Buddhist Courses
    • Green Tara Retreat (Online)
    • The Practice of Mahayana Buddhism (Part Two)
    • Tonglen Weekend
  • Mindfulness for Life retreats
    • Naturally Being Retreat Weekend (Dumfries)
    • Mindfulness for Life Retreat
  • Mindfulness Practice Days
  • Members’ Weekends and Retreats
    • Members Spring Retreat Weekend
    • Spring Members 5 Day Retreat
  • All Courses and Retreats
• Teaching Mindfulness
  • About Teaching Mindfulness
    • Teacher Training Package
    • Mindfulness Based Living Course (MBLC)
    • Compassion Based Living Course (CBLC)
  • Teaching – Level 1
  • Teaching – Level 2 – MBLC
  • Teaching – Level 2 – MBHL
  • Teaching – Level 3 – CBLC
  • Teacher Membership
  • CPD
    • Teachers 5 Day Retreat Online
    • Advanced Inquiry Skills
  • Supervision
    • Find a Supervisor
    • Train to Supervise
  • Find an MBLC Teacher
  • Ongoing Teacher Courses
• Masters and Research
  • About Masters and Research
  • Waikato University Research
  • MSc Studies in Mindfulness
  • Research Forum
  • Research Blogs
• Poetry & Blogs
  • Latest News
  • Mindfulness Poetry
  • Team Blogs
  • Guest Blogs
  • Research Blogs
  • Teaching Blogs
• About Us
  • About Us
  • Rob Nairn
  • Tutors
  • Documentaries
  • Publications
    • Mahamudra and Mindfulness Series
    • Mindfulness Based Living Course Book
    • Compassion Based Living Course Book
    • From Mindfulness to Insight Book
  • Membership
    • Free Spring Members Weekend
    • Spring Members and Teachers Online Retreat
  • Franchises
  • Store
  • Contact Us
• Free Resources
  • Free Daily Meditation
  • Mindfulness Calendars
  • Rob Nairn Talks
  • Free Recorded Meditations
  • Infographics
  • Apps
  • Free Email Course

When death comes – Mary OliverYou are here:

1. Home
2. Words of Wonder
3. When death comes – Mary…

Jan202019Words of Wonder

When death comeslike the hungry bear in autumn;when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse

to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;when death comeslike the measle-pox

when death comeslike an iceberg between the shoulder blades,

I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?

And therefore I look upon everythingas a brotherhood and a sisterhood,and I look upon time as no more than an idea,and I consider eternity as another possibility,

and I think of each life as a flower, as commonas a field daisy, and as singular,

and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,tending, as all music does, toward silence,

and each body a lion of courage, and somethingprecious to the earth.

When it’s over, I want to say all my lifeI was a bride married to amazement.I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it’s over, I don’t want to wonderif I have made of my life something particular, and real.

I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,or full of argument.

I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.

by Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver died this week, in her own home, at 83 years old. The worldwide web is full with the loving words of many people expressing their gratitude and appreciation for her and her many works of poetry-art (and here is a rare and beautiful interview with her from a few years ago).

And of course I can’t know, but I don’t think death found her ‘sighing and frightened, or full of argument’. I feel sadness and poignancy at her passing, and somehow want to assure her that she doesn’t have to wonder and yes, she really has ‘made of her life something particular, and real’. And that her poems speak of how she has been ‘married to amazement’, and how she has ‘taken the world into her arms’.

And I wholeheartedly hope, and right now renew my aim, to do the same.

Photo by Zdeněk Macháček on Unsplash

January 20, 20194 CommentsTags: couragecuriositylive life

Author: Kristine Mackenzie-Janson

Kristine has been practising Tibetan Buddhism since 2000, and spent four years working and practising meditation on Holy Isle, Scotland. She has trained extensively with Rob Nairn and has been teaching mindfulness and compassion as a lead tutor for the Mindfulness Association since its early days. She offers eight week courses and drop-in sessions near her home in Edinburgh and mindfulness supervision both in person and by phone. Kristine is also a qualified art therapist, having earned her BA (Hons) degree in 2004 at the Hogeschool Leiden in Holland.

Post navigation

PreviousPrevious post:Being Mindful of StoriesNextNext post:Mindfulness Teacher Training

4 Comments

1. A perfect poem for me this week, on Tuesday evening my brother lost his long-fought battle against cancer and passed peacefully in the hospice.

   It has been a time of great sadness and yet also great relief that he is no longer suffering. I have been practising Tonglen for him and had just completed my sit when I received the message of his passing. I felt peaceful knowing that I had been giving and receiving for him at the moment of his transition, and that I had in some way been able to help and ease his final journey from this life.

   I am deeply grateful for the kindness and care that I have received from everyone around me, particularly my classmates on the MSc who have been a wonderful source of kindness and compassion at this time.

   Thank you for sharing this wonderful poem, Mary Oliver has such a way with words and these are just perfect.

   warmly, Kath

2. Thank you, Kristine for this poem in tribute to Mary Oliver’s recent passing. What an amazing women she was, full of insight and understanding. I would’ve loved to have known her but actually, I felt I did know her! I listened to a Krista Tippett interview with her from 2015 a few days ago. It was wonderful x

3. Hi Anne, I know what you mean with that sense of kind of knowing her… I hope she somehow knew or felt how much her words meant for others, me very much included. Glad you enjoyed the interview as well!

4. Dear Kath, I’m glad to hear this poem met you well in the poignant time of your brother’s recent passing… and what a beautiful thing to have done tonglen for him during his last breaths. Blessings on your months to come where you find your way in the world with him no longer here in body, and may there be much kindness and compassion continuing to come your way! Warm wishes to you, kristine

Comments are closed.

Helpful Links:

- Mindfulness Courses

- Courses and Retreats

- Train To Teach Mindfulness

Upcoming Courses and Retreats:

March 2026

Mar 03 - 31 2026

Mindfulness Level 1 – Second Spring Intake

Online Mar 06 - 08 2026

Spring Members Weekend

Online Mar 06 - 11 2026

Members & Teachers Online Retreat – The Power of Presence

Online Mar 07 2026 - Jul 19 2026

Mindfulness Level 3 – Insight – Spring Intake

The Crichton or Online Mar 07 - 08 2026

Mindfulness Level 1 – Third Spring Intake

The Crichton Mar 24 - 29 2026

Teaching Level 2 Mindfulness – MBLC Retreat – Online 2026

Online No event found! Load More Go to Top

Accept Cookies

We use cookies on our site. Please click accept or review the cookie settings Cookie settingsAcceptPrivacy & Cookies Policy Close

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Necessary NecessaryAlways Enabled Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information. Non-necessary Non-necessary Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. SAVE & ACCEPT