Reading Mary Oliver's poetry is like listening to Enya's music. It's all delicate and beautiful, but aside from a few star pieces, it all starts to blend together after a while. Mary Oliver's poems are beautiful for their focus on nature and spirituality, and for their simplicity, and some of her poems are absolutely gorgeous and would make my Top 20 Poems Ever list if I had one. Nevertheless, I get frustrated with reading her poetry after a while. I find myself thinking, "Got that, but when will you move on to a new subject? I've read endless variations of that theme now." This book was like that. A few brilliant moments and a lot of rehash.My favorite poem in this collection was "Prince Buzzard." It still dwelt on birds and the cycle of life like a lot of her other poems, but it had something ugly in it (the buzzard), which set it apart. She didn't poeticize the ugliness, just put it in context with the lovely last stanza, "and indeed by time summer / opened its green harbors / the field was nothing but flowers, flowers, flowers, / from shore to shore"I also liked the lines "And you will hear the air itself, like a beloved, whisper: oh, let me, for a while longer, enter the two beautiful bodies of your lungs," and "I have become the child of the clouds, and of hope," both taken from the poem "To Begin With, the Sweet Grass." This is a well-crafted and beautiful collection of poems! Mary Oliver has once again inspired the reader, the writer and the spirit within me. The simplicity with which she brings us to the heart of a particular matter is amazing! It was difficult to choose just one piece to share with you as they are all like a well-played symphony. The Poet Always Carries a Notebook (p.16) What is he scribbling on the page? Is there snow in it, or fire? Is it the beginning of a poem? Is it a love note? BRAVO MARY!!! HAPPY POETRY MONTH TO ALL POETS AND POETRY LOVERS!!! This is the perfect month to discover poetry...
What do You think about Evidence: Poems (2009)?
So great. Honey for your soul. I felt calmer after every poem. Beyond lovely.
—mari
necessary nourishment / lessons on how to live
—Hawkstar
