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In Memory of Mary Oliver

First Light is a meditation on the beloved poet, Mary Oliver, who died on January 17, 2019.

While standing next to the bananas in the produce section of the Olympia Food Co-op yesterday afternoon I learned by text that Mary Oliver had died. I began to cry. I drove home crying. I sat crying in my car in the driveway.

Making a film, this film, is what I could think to do to with my sadness at Mary Oliver’s passing, and with my deep gratitude for her and all she gave us. Footage of the first morning light came to mind as I sat crying, footage that I’d shot last October in the context of my contemplative practice. Filmed while rowing my 100 year old little wooden boat, Nike, in the Salish Sea, this single sustained shot with the sounds of crying seagulls – this I love the way I love Mary Oliver and her astonishing poetry.

First Light is a new addition to my CinemaDivina collection — short films made for contemplation.

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