I appreciate this book because it holds a lot of optimism and love, which are ideas often overlooked in lit. Once to understand what it was about, and the second time to let the language and imagery soak in. A book that I will return to again and again. Does this book contain inappropriate content? But oh, what a moment. Very beautiful expression of our connection with the cycle of life. 3.5 nowhere near as deeply touching as Truro Bear, but enjoyable and worth the time nonetheless. Beacon Press, 2004 - Poetry - 71 pages. Sadly, not one of my favorite Mary Oliver compilations...This one did not stir me. The forty-seven new works in this volume include poems on crickets, toads, trout lilies, black snakes, goldenrod, bears, greeting the morning, watching the deer, and, finally, lingering in happiness. This item has a maximum order quantity limit. These promotions will be applied to this item: Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. I'm trying to read more poetry this year. She really belongs here. It's like she writes with a crystal pen tip, and the resonance of the crystal molecules go into the lines. “Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness.” Why I Wake Early. What Was Once the Largest Shopping Center in Northern Ohio Was Built Where There Had Been a Pond I Used to Visit Every Summer Afternoon. Do you believe that this item violates a copyright? The forty-seven new works in this volume include poems on crickets, toads, trout lilies, black snakes, goldenrod, bears, greeting the morning, watching the deer, and, finally, lingering in happiness. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed. I don't hold it against a writer if she articulates her faith. I've been trying to live more meaningfully and with more gratitude for the world around me and Oliver's poems--like the titular one below capture that feeling for me. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. kat. But wherever these poems come from, they're beautiful. Lots of “nature“ in these poems, especially birds (see below). These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Why Mary Oliver wakes early. / Though I play at the edges of knowing, / truly I know / our part is not knowing, / but looking, and touching, and loving, / which is the way I walked on, / softly, / through the pale-pink morning light.". 7 people found this helpful. I’m looking forward to reading another book of hers that I purchased, “New and Selected Poems”. Can I give this book 10 stars - or 100? Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. I like her newer work much better. I can't choose favorites, but maybe give you samples. In celebration of National Poetry Month (April), my partner and I decided to each write a daily haiku. Captured, in Mary Oliver's words. Because words heal. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. It's like she writes with a crystal pen tip, an. A collection of proletariat wisdom whispers from the filthy underground of America that only its unknown heroes can teach. I'd never noticed her writing from a religious viewpoint before. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. No one writes about connecting with nature and spirit more beautifully than Oliver. 10 Reviews "Mary Oliver has been writing poetry for nearly five decades, and in that time she has become America's foremost poetic voice on our experience of the physical world. One day I want to live in the country again and lay down in the grass with my children and watch tiny bugs on waving grass. I read each one twice. Mary Oliver continues to rip my heart out, cleanse it, and return it to me better than when she took it. Her books include Red Bird; Our World; Thirst; Blue Iris; New and Selected Poems, Volume One; and New and Selected Poems, Volume Two. These are intense moments of solitary pleasure. There was at least a line in every single poem that gave me pause. In celebration of National Poetry Month (April), my partner and I decided to each write a daily haiku. Fast and free shipping free returns cash on delivery available on eligible purchase. Amazon Price New from Used from Hardcover "Please retry" £19.87 . This isn’t “Four Quartets”, but there’s nothing “cutesie” or trite about these poems. Each poem is imbued with the extraordinary perceptions of a poet who considers the everyday in our lives and the natural world around us and finds a multitude of reasons to wake early. I really enjoyed Why I Wake Early by Mary Oliver. These Books Explain Why You Feel That Way. But a fact of poetry written from a religious impulse is that a secular reader can't or may not appreciate, ultimately, what the poet wishes to express. The first Friday Poem of 2018 is for the early risers, the folks who ‘seize the day’ as first light tints the sky in pastels.