Devotions: A Read with Jenna Pick: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver

when i discovered her poems i held on to a library book from her until i just had to buy a copy. Her poems are spiritual, honest and unique..

Mary Oliver (1935-2019) Bestselling Poet, Winner of the National Book Award & The Pulitzer Prize “Poetry isn't a profession, it's a way of life. It's an empty basket; you put your life into it and make something out of that." The main theme the late Oliver shares is her abiding love and deep regard for the natural world. It is the fabric she prefers to lay her words on and wrap them up in and where she always found not only peace, but understanding of the importance of taking time to truly smell, touch and honor the earth. Though she has penned hundreds of poems, here are a few that I found especially notable. She also wrote many nature-themed essays but gave very few interviews feeling that her work could speak for itself. She was a New York Times bestselling poet with a wise and generous wisdom and an intimate respect for the world not of our making. Here are a few examples of her work; Mornings At Blackwater For years, every morning, I drank From Blackwater Pond. It was flavored with oak leaves and also, no doubt, The feet of ducks. And always it assuaged me from the dry bowl of the very far past. What I want to say is that the past is the past, and the present is what your life is, and you are capable of choosing what that will be, darling citizen. So come to the pond, or the river of your imagination, or the harbor of your longing, and put your lips to the world. And live your life. Praying It doesn’t have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones; just pay attention, then patch a few words together and don’t try to make them elaborate, this isn’t a contest but the doorway into thanks, and a silence in which another voice may speak. Three Things To Remember As long as you’re dancing, you can break the rules. Sometimes breaking the rules is just extending the rules. Sometimes there are no rules. For many, poetry has to rhyme, for others it has to adhere to a particular structure or have a certain word count and the variety of forms have accumulated over time. For Mary Oliver it had to express her observations of the natural world and perhaps she said it best, “When you write a poem, you write it for anybody and everybody.” • Poetry tells a story • What’s your poem?

One of my favorite poetry collections ever. The quality of this book is great, and the way the collection is organized is perfect. I love reading one or two of Oliver's poems every day. I would highly recommend.

A mere two years before her death, this anthology was published of 200 of Mary Oliver's poems. Suprisingly, it is arranged in reverse chronological order from 2015 to 1963. Nonetheless, it provides a unique perspective allowing the poetry lover to see how Oliver honed her style to be more like Robert Frost: terse but full of meaning than her longer, earlier pieces. Like a finely plaited braid, Mary Oliver entwines three major themes. She is a deist and her God is a Christian God. Though she quotes from both the Old and New Testaments, her language reflects more of the New replete with words like: grace, prayer, rapture and praise. She has no doubt that there is a God for the reader need only see dawn conquer the darkness to know each day is a recreation of the first day. Though she never overtly writes of resurrection, her frequent reflections on death suggest an eternity of existence. In WHITE OWL FLIES INTO AND OUT OF THE FIELD, Oliver writes "...so I thought maybe death isn't darkness, after all, but so much light wrapping itself around us- as soft as feathers-that we are instantly weary of looking and looking and shut our eyes not with amazement, and let ourselves be carried, as though the translucence of mica to the river that is without the least dapple or shadow- that is nothing but light-scalding, aortal light- in which we are washed and washed out of our bones." Another frequent theme is the wonder and beauty of nature. In the style of Walt Whittman, she praises all forms of fauna, flora and aquatic environments from the tiny puddle to the vast ocean. She marvels at the blue of the sky, the blackness of night, the moon's refelctions amid the stars, "those hot, hard watchmen of the night." Looking and listening are our major tasks to appreciate nature fully. She writes, "To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work." In her poem HUM, Oliver is literally "buzzing" with excitement and creativity as she follows a worker bee gather and carry pollen to the hive. Finally, Oliver underscores her joy in love and companionship. There are hints throughout her poems of a lonely and perhaps neglected childhood. She relishes sharing food and drink with her partner and dogs and the joy of physical closeness. She shares her saddness at the loss of a friend whose "closeness was like a flame, and now I am forever cold..." In THE LOON ON OAK-HEAD POND, she writes of listening to the call of loons stopping over on the pond while heading home to the north "...you come every afternoon and wait to hear it. you sit a long time, quiet, under the thick pines, in the silence that follows. as though it were your own twilight. as though it were your own vanishing song." This marvelous collection of Oliver's poems keeps her voice forever resonating in the reader's mind and heart.

A superb collection.

Mary Oliver’s poetry is truly beautiful, stunning, and touches the heart as it opens your eyes to the wonder and magic of life all around us. Each poem is to be savored and delightfully enjoyed as tou sit with it and let it sink in and transform you.

Great book! Although my cover came a little damaged/bent.

Incredible poems. I keep this on my nightstand and read it often.

In contrast to most modern poetry, with its fetish for complication and complexity, density and obscurity, the late Mary Oliver is a nature poet celebrated and revered for her direct and accessible language that encourages introspection and attentiveness, compassion and contemplation. Reading Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver makes me feel better, not figuratively but literally. It lifts my heart and my spirit by appealing to my imagination and sense of wonder. What more can a grateful reader ask.

My go to poetry book. Reading Oliver’s poetry is like meditating. I have owned this book for some time. This time purchased for a family who are going through a tough time.

Helt fantastisk!!!!

Die Gedichte von Mary Oliver in diesem Band sind wunderschön, sehr naturverbunden und berühren das Herz auf eine sanfte Weise. Ich lese die Gedichte gern morgens, da sie entspannen, anregen und inspirieren. Als Nicht-Englische Muttersprachlerin, die sehr gern auf Englisch liest, musste ich doch viele Worte nachschlagen, da sie mir völlig unbekannt waren - insb. Tier- und Pflanzenarten. Dafür konnte ich nicht nur die Dichtkunst genießen, sondern auch jeden Morgen etwas Neues lernen. Wer gerne Wunder im Kleinen entdeckt, könnte sich für dieses Band begeistern!

The book arrived in perfect condition, it is an excellent purchase, but I would personally try to protect it more so that it reaches its destination.