The Long Black Branches of Other People's Lives
Amara L.
Pencil on paper
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This piece is part of a larger portfolio celebrating influential female poets and writers. Here, I focus on Mary Oliver, drawing inspiration from her luminous poem Have You Ever Tried to Enter the Long Black Branches? Oliver’s work has always been a point of connection between my mother and me, so creating this piece felt both personal and joyful. I wanted to honor the way Oliver invites readers into wonder—how she turns an ordinary moment into something expansive, sunlit, and alive. In making this work, I tried to mirror her attentiveness: slowing down, observing quietly, and letting small details take on emotional weight. My goal is for viewers to feel that same sense of spaciousness and tenderness that Oliver’s poetry gives me.
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Creativity, to me, is a practice of noticing and paying such deep attention to the world and the people I love that something grows from it. It’s a way of honoring connection, memory, and wonder, and shaping those feelings into something I can share.
