“Tell me…” a poem by Margaux Paul

"TELL ME, WHAT IS IT YOU PLAN TO DO WITH YOUR ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE?"

-Mary Oliver

I plan on washing my sheets, cooking pasta, and cleaning

broken glass off the kitchen floor quickly lest it cut up any

little feet. I plan on eating peaches in the summer and

oysters only in months that end in -er because that's what

my mother taught me. I plan on making lovers out of poetry

and poetry out of lovers. I plan to eat tomato salad with

salt, oil, and hot French bread while my cousin regales me

with her stories. I will swallow the bitterness of missing

entire years together. I plan to say bless you when someone

sneezes. Excuse me when I pass them by. I plan to forgive

—even the people who don't deserve it. I plan on giving

loneliness a warm place in my bed when I need her. I plan

on hosting dinner parties and listening to my friend's

laughter in the half-light of evening. I plan on sending the

letter. I plan on falling in love often. Often, with the wrong

people, which will make the right one's love go down like

milk and honey. I plan on making mistakes, making love,

getting sunburnt, and still basking in the sunlight.

What is it I plan to do with my one wild and precious life?

Mary, I intend to live it.

-Margaux Paul

More from Margaux Paul ↓

• @margauxpoetry on Instagram
• Margaux Paul on Substack
• Her book, Unsent Letters, is out now.

You can listen to me read another poem by Margaux over on Instagram @rembrandts.cure

Mentioned in this episode:

Write After: National Poetry Month with One Poem Only

Write After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. We'll get started in April. You can share to #WriteAfterOPO.

#WriteAfterOPO