# [Poetry Outdoors](https://poetryoutdoors.substack.com/)

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# [Nothing is Too Small to be Wondered About](https://poetryoutdoors.substack.com/p/nothing-is-too-small-to-be-wondered)  
Jun 9  
43  
42  
5  
Your weekly Mary Oliver poem and writing prompt.
[Read →](https://poetryoutdoors.substack.com/p/nothing-is-too-small-to-be-wondered)

### Requiem for a Grasshopper

I took down a mug for my tea  
from the high cupboards  
of my kitchen  
I went to pour  
but there  
at the base  
was a grasshopper  
the length of my finger nail  
Still greenish  
but dried out  
long dead  
Its body neat  
legs tucked up  
and out  
like miniature triangles  
all angles  
but in perfect form

How did you get in there  
Why did you hop  
into my cup  
When did you make  
your final rest there  
when there are seventy  
potted plants  
in my indoor garden  
eight metres away

Little fellow  
you could have  
eaten your fill  
of green leaves there  
grown big enough  
for me to hear  
your pretty chirps  
so I could release you  
once I found you  
into my outside garden  
where the larger  
hoppers hop

I've released so many  
grasshoppers  
before you  
I've felt their strong legs  
fighting to escape  
my loosely closed hand  
like frogs  
or lizards  
occasional butterflies  
or the swallows  
that nest in our eaves  
that get a fright  
as I open sliding doors  
that lead to the patio  
I free them all  
I love to save  
the living things  
that lose their way

So why did you  
spring into  
my high cupboard  
to make a tomb  
in my teacup  
when you could  
have had  
a life  
that was  
expansive  
within the greenery  
eating your way  
to some great size  
in the life  
you were  
hatched for  
grasshopper

### Additional Comments

* Annee Burke on [Jun 10](https://poetryoutdoors.substack.com/p/nothing-is-too-small-to-be-wondered/comment/273671551): Liked by Poetry Outdoors  
* R. Jill Zimmerman on [Jun 10](https://poetryoutdoors.substack.com/p/nothing-is-too-small-to-be-wondered/comment/273677382): I love your Mary Oliver poetry project!  
* Poetry Outdoors on [Jun 15](https://poetryoutdoors.substack.com/p/nothing-is-too-small-to-be-wondered/comment/276928352): Thank you, Jill!  
* More Than Poetry on [Jun 10](https://poetryoutdoors.substack.com/p/nothing-is-too-small-to-be-wondered/comment/273818866): I love this prompt! I find when I’m overwhelmed that focusing on the small things is so grounding. 💛  
* Poetry Outdoors on [Jun 15](https://poetryoutdoors.substack.com/p/nothing-is-too-small-to-be-wondered/comment/276929101): Me too! Lately, I've been going on short walks around the neighborhood, admiring all the lush beauty of the trees blowing in the wind and it's been so calming.

### Liked Comments
* Gun-Marie Engström: I love the tenderandes of the poem and the hopping😍  
* Katelynn: Spider was my muse today

### Conclusion

This poetry sharing and the engagement it brings illustrates the impact of small moments in life that inspire creativity and reflection.