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Felicity
ŷ Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Poetry (2015)Mary Oliver, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, celebrates love in her new collection of poems
“If I have any secret stash of poems, anywhere, it might be about love, not anger,� Mary Oliver once said in an interview. Finally, in her stunning new collection, Felicity, we can immerse ourselves in Oliver’s love poems. Here, great happiness abounds.
Our most delicate chronicler of physical landscape, Oliver has described her work as loving the world. With Felicity she examines what it means to love another person. She opens our eyes again to the territory within our own hearts; to the wild and to the quiet. In these poems, she describes—with joy—the strangeness and wonder of human connection.
As in Blue Horses, Dog Songs, and A Thousand Mornings, with Felicity Oliver honors love, life, and beauty.
“If I have any secret stash of poems, anywhere, it might be about love, not anger,� Mary Oliver once said in an interview. Finally, in her stunning new collection, Felicity, we can immerse ourselves in Oliver’s love poems. Here, great happiness abounds.
Our most delicate chronicler of physical landscape, Oliver has described her work as loving the world. With Felicity she examines what it means to love another person. She opens our eyes again to the territory within our own hearts; to the wild and to the quiet. In these poems, she describes—with joy—the strangeness and wonder of human connection.
As in Blue Horses, Dog Songs, and A Thousand Mornings, with Felicity Oliver honors love, life, and beauty.
85 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 2015
472 people are currently reading
22k people want to read
About the author
Mary Oliver
102books8,222followersMary Jane Oliver was an American poet who won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Her work is inspired by nature, rather than the human world, stemming from her lifelong passion for solitary walks in the wild.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the ŷ database with this name. .
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the ŷ database with this name. .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,351 reviews
February 16, 2025
�There are moments that cry out to be fulfilled� writes poet Mary Oliver, and what can be a more momentous moment in our lives than the moments when love, like a great gale of passion, overcomes us, uproots us, sends us tumbling on a force greater than ourselves towards a new horizon. Such are the moments fulfilled by Oliver’s sublimely succinct words in Felicity, the final collection of poetry from the Pulitzer Prize winning poet published in 2015. �Poems arrive ready to being,� she writes, �poems are the only transportation,� and each poem transports us into the disarming glow of love and wonderment for the world around us. It is a collection that bestows a quiet grace into the reader’s heart, a collection that harmonizes with awe, a collection that reads like overlooking the vast beauty of nature on a cozy, rainy day while one’s heart is so full of love and longing for another it feels like the body cannot contain it. If such love were to burst free and land upon a page, it would be these poems.
NOT ANYONE WHO SAYS
Not anyone who says, “I’m going to be
careful and smart in matters of love,�
who says, “I’m going to choose slowly,�
but only those lovers who didn’t choose at all
but were, as it were, chosen
by something invisible and powerful and uncontrollable
and beautiful and possibly even
unsuitable �
only those know what I’m talking about
in this talking about love.
Love overtakes us, it surprises us, it penetrates our defenses and puts down our best efforts at resistance and Oliver’s words flow forward into the heart like a wave of such endearing affect, unable to be ignored or held dearly. These are poems that will call to mind the face of a loved one or make you yearn for a heart beating somewhere back down a road you hope to return to. They capture the moments of fear evaporated into felicity upon diving in and being thankful for the plunge as she writes in I Did Think, Let’s Go About This Slowly:
I did think, lets go about this slowly.
This is important, this should take
some really deep thought. We should take
small thoughtful steps.
But, bless us, we didn’t.
I mean, thats the kind of poem you can read at a wedding. And maybe should. There’s just this freeing energy here to match the feelings of giving in to love, to aching for another, to unabashedly loving the tender or sappy moments that would cause you to roll your eyes otherwise. The small moments, the hands brushing together, the gazes across a room betraying your heart, the moments of falling asleep with your phone in hand mid-text because, like in I Don’t Want to Lose, you’ve stayed awake beyond exhaustion not wanting to lose a single, precious minute:
I don’t want to lose a single thread
from the intricate brocade of this happiness.
I want to remember everything.
Which is why I’m lying awake, sleepy
but not sleepy enough to give it up.
Just now, a moment from years ago:
the early morning light, the deft, sweet
gesture of your hand
reaching for me.
These are poems that just make you want to gush. They are so sweet and cute yet deeply penetrating. I’ve always felt Oliver is a perfect balance of accessible and meaningful and while these might not be her strongest poems they arrive directly into the tenderest parts of my heart that I’d only show to those who I’d weather the worst storms with. But like, come on, how adorable is this and a perfect blend between her thoughts on love and Oliver’s signature love for the wild world:
EXCEPT FOR THE BODY
Except for the body
of someone you love,
including all its expressions
in privacy and in public,
trees, I think,
are the most beautiful
forms on the earth.
Though, admittedly,
if this were a contest,
the trees would come in
an extremely distant second.
Published in 2015 just a few years before Oliver’s passing in 2019, these poems arrive two years after the death of her lifelong partner, . The couple have such an adorable love story, having met in the home of poet where Oliver was working and striking up a lasting partnership where Molly would often answer work calls on behalf of Mary and pretend to be her to the point that it was widely considered that reaching Molly was the same as reaching Mary. I love them and their love. I also just love love. But anyways, Molly had recently passed before the publication of Felicity though she is felt in every poem.
�The leaves are all in motion now
the way a young boy rows and rows
in his wooden boat, just to get anywhere. Late, late,
but now lovely and lovelier. And the two of us
together � a part of it.�
There is a sense of loss here, yet a sense of love enduring, of love surviving the washing away of time and even death. Its a love that survives brokenness the way love can heal the parts of you that you might have once thought broken. The sort of love you’d have to feel to write about it. May we all find such a love.
EVERYTHING THAT WAS BROKEN
Everything that was broken has
forgotten its brokenness. I love
now in a sky-house, through every
window the sun. Also your presence.
our touching, our stories. Earthy
and holy both. How can this be, but
it is. Every day has something in
it whose name is Forever.
This is a short collection of rather short poems, but the effect is rather lasting. I adored the quotes that break up each section and the poems on life as a journey. We see this journey as something lit by the light of love in Oliver’s gaze, and it is a gorgeous path to take along with her. Grasp these poems by the hand, it is so lovely to have one’s hand held.
5/5
A VOICE FROM I DON'T KNOW WHERE
It seems you love this world very much.
“Yes, I said. “This beautiful world.�
And you don’t mind the mind, that keeps you
busy all the time with its dark and bright wonderings?
“No, I’m quite used to it. Busy, busy,
all the time.�
And you don’t mind living with those questions,
I mean the hard ones, that no one can answer?
“Actually, they’re the most interesting.�
And you have a person in your life whose hand
you like to hold?
“Yes, I do.�
It must surely, then, be very happy down there
in your heart.
“Yes,� I said. “It is.�
NOT ANYONE WHO SAYS
Not anyone who says, “I’m going to be
careful and smart in matters of love,�
who says, “I’m going to choose slowly,�
but only those lovers who didn’t choose at all
but were, as it were, chosen
by something invisible and powerful and uncontrollable
and beautiful and possibly even
unsuitable �
only those know what I’m talking about
in this talking about love.
Love overtakes us, it surprises us, it penetrates our defenses and puts down our best efforts at resistance and Oliver’s words flow forward into the heart like a wave of such endearing affect, unable to be ignored or held dearly. These are poems that will call to mind the face of a loved one or make you yearn for a heart beating somewhere back down a road you hope to return to. They capture the moments of fear evaporated into felicity upon diving in and being thankful for the plunge as she writes in I Did Think, Let’s Go About This Slowly:
I did think, lets go about this slowly.
This is important, this should take
some really deep thought. We should take
small thoughtful steps.
But, bless us, we didn’t.
I mean, thats the kind of poem you can read at a wedding. And maybe should. There’s just this freeing energy here to match the feelings of giving in to love, to aching for another, to unabashedly loving the tender or sappy moments that would cause you to roll your eyes otherwise. The small moments, the hands brushing together, the gazes across a room betraying your heart, the moments of falling asleep with your phone in hand mid-text because, like in I Don’t Want to Lose, you’ve stayed awake beyond exhaustion not wanting to lose a single, precious minute:
I don’t want to lose a single thread
from the intricate brocade of this happiness.
I want to remember everything.
Which is why I’m lying awake, sleepy
but not sleepy enough to give it up.
Just now, a moment from years ago:
the early morning light, the deft, sweet
gesture of your hand
reaching for me.
These are poems that just make you want to gush. They are so sweet and cute yet deeply penetrating. I’ve always felt Oliver is a perfect balance of accessible and meaningful and while these might not be her strongest poems they arrive directly into the tenderest parts of my heart that I’d only show to those who I’d weather the worst storms with. But like, come on, how adorable is this and a perfect blend between her thoughts on love and Oliver’s signature love for the wild world:
EXCEPT FOR THE BODY
Except for the body
of someone you love,
including all its expressions
in privacy and in public,
trees, I think,
are the most beautiful
forms on the earth.
Though, admittedly,
if this were a contest,
the trees would come in
an extremely distant second.
Published in 2015 just a few years before Oliver’s passing in 2019, these poems arrive two years after the death of her lifelong partner, . The couple have such an adorable love story, having met in the home of poet where Oliver was working and striking up a lasting partnership where Molly would often answer work calls on behalf of Mary and pretend to be her to the point that it was widely considered that reaching Molly was the same as reaching Mary. I love them and their love. I also just love love. But anyways, Molly had recently passed before the publication of Felicity though she is felt in every poem.
�The leaves are all in motion now
the way a young boy rows and rows
in his wooden boat, just to get anywhere. Late, late,
but now lovely and lovelier. And the two of us
together � a part of it.�
There is a sense of loss here, yet a sense of love enduring, of love surviving the washing away of time and even death. Its a love that survives brokenness the way love can heal the parts of you that you might have once thought broken. The sort of love you’d have to feel to write about it. May we all find such a love.
EVERYTHING THAT WAS BROKEN
Everything that was broken has
forgotten its brokenness. I love
now in a sky-house, through every
window the sun. Also your presence.
our touching, our stories. Earthy
and holy both. How can this be, but
it is. Every day has something in
it whose name is Forever.
This is a short collection of rather short poems, but the effect is rather lasting. I adored the quotes that break up each section and the poems on life as a journey. We see this journey as something lit by the light of love in Oliver’s gaze, and it is a gorgeous path to take along with her. Grasp these poems by the hand, it is so lovely to have one’s hand held.
5/5
A VOICE FROM I DON'T KNOW WHERE
It seems you love this world very much.
“Yes, I said. “This beautiful world.�
And you don’t mind the mind, that keeps you
busy all the time with its dark and bright wonderings?
“No, I’m quite used to it. Busy, busy,
all the time.�
And you don’t mind living with those questions,
I mean the hard ones, that no one can answer?
“Actually, they’re the most interesting.�
And you have a person in your life whose hand
you like to hold?
“Yes, I do.�
It must surely, then, be very happy down there
in your heart.
“Yes,� I said. “It is.�
October 13, 2015
Oh reach into the night sky
and hand me 5 stars
so I can give you a 10 star review!
and hand me 5 stars
so I can give you a 10 star review!
June 11, 2018
While a number of verses were questionably poetic, some gems are in here as well:
Q:
Things take the time they take. Don’t
worry (c)
Q:
Some words will never leave God’s mouth,
no matter how hard you listen. (c)
Q:
Do the trees speak back to the wind
when the wind offers some invitational comment? (c)
Q:
All important ideas must include the trees,
the mountains, and the rivers. (c)
Q:
The point is, you’re you, and that’s for keeps. (c)
Q:
Love is the one thing the heart craves
and love is the one thing
you can’t steal. (c)
Q:
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.� RUMI
Q:
When one is alone and lonely, the body
gladly lingers in the wind or the rain,
or splashes into the cold river, or
pushes through the ice-crusted snow.
Anything that touches.(c)
Q:
Things take the time they take. Don’t
worry (c)
Q:
Some words will never leave God’s mouth,
no matter how hard you listen. (c)
Q:
Do the trees speak back to the wind
when the wind offers some invitational comment? (c)
Q:
All important ideas must include the trees,
the mountains, and the rivers. (c)
Q:
The point is, you’re you, and that’s for keeps. (c)
Q:
Love is the one thing the heart craves
and love is the one thing
you can’t steal. (c)
Q:
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.� RUMI
Q:
When one is alone and lonely, the body
gladly lingers in the wind or the rain,
or splashes into the cold river, or
pushes through the ice-crusted snow.
Anything that touches.(c)
Read
December 28, 2022accidentally reread this almost exactly a year later, i love rereading collections and my connection to it totally changing.
—�-
WOWWW I HAVE A NEW FAVORITE MARY OLIVER!!! well, second favorite as nothing can match the chemical change that occurred in my brain when i read blue horses for the first time but i digress. this is oliver’s collection of mainly love poems, and oh boy was it lovely. i will never tire reading her. favorites: moments, for tom shaw, and whistling swans
—�-
WOWWW I HAVE A NEW FAVORITE MARY OLIVER!!! well, second favorite as nothing can match the chemical change that occurred in my brain when i read blue horses for the first time but i digress. this is oliver’s collection of mainly love poems, and oh boy was it lovely. i will never tire reading her. favorites: moments, for tom shaw, and whistling swans
February 19, 2016
I really enjoy Mary Oliver's poetry. She writes a lot about nature and animals. This book has poems about love. They are beautiful.
I Don't Want to Lose
I don't want to lose a single thread
from the intricate brocade of this happiness.
I want to remember everything.
Which is why I'm lying awake, sleepy
but not sleepy enough to give it up.
Just now, a moment from a year ago:
the early morning light, the deft, sweet
gesture of your hand
reaching for me.
I Don't Want to Lose
I don't want to lose a single thread
from the intricate brocade of this happiness.
I want to remember everything.
Which is why I'm lying awake, sleepy
but not sleepy enough to give it up.
Just now, a moment from a year ago:
the early morning light, the deft, sweet
gesture of your hand
reaching for me.
November 18, 2016
This isn't where I would start with Mary Oliver, and it pains me to give this collection only 3 stars. But they are a bit thin on connection and insight compared to her normal works.
Here is my favorite:
Moments
There are moments that cry out to be fulfilled.
Like, telling someone you love them.
Or giving your money away, all of it.
Your heart is beating, isn't it?
You're not in chains, are you?
There is nothing more pathetic than caution
when headlong might save a life,
even, possibly, your own.
Here is my favorite:
Moments
There are moments that cry out to be fulfilled.
Like, telling someone you love them.
Or giving your money away, all of it.
Your heart is beating, isn't it?
You're not in chains, are you?
There is nothing more pathetic than caution
when headlong might save a life,
even, possibly, your own.
January 11, 2022
gay love is just !!!
I don’t want to lose a single thread / from the intricate brocade of this happiness. / I want to remember everything. / Which is why I am lying awake, sleepy / but not sleepy enough to give it up. / Just now, a moment from years ago: / the early morning light, the deft, sweet / gesture of your hand / reaching for me.
I don’t want to lose a single thread / from the intricate brocade of this happiness. / I want to remember everything. / Which is why I am lying awake, sleepy / but not sleepy enough to give it up. / Just now, a moment from years ago: / the early morning light, the deft, sweet / gesture of your hand / reaching for me.
January 16, 2022
'but just now it is summer again
and i am watching the lilies bow to each other,
then slide on the wind and the tug of desire,
close, close to one another'
a beautiful, grounded and spiritual journey through life and love, as told by birds, by flowers, by trees. mary oliver reminds us to feel deeply, love truthfully and to appreciate the small miracles which take place around us every single day.
this is really impactful poetry. a short collection which could easily take you hours upon hours to complete as you amble peacefully through oliver's words. highly recommended for the nature lovers and hopeless romantics among you <3
and i am watching the lilies bow to each other,
then slide on the wind and the tug of desire,
close, close to one another'
a beautiful, grounded and spiritual journey through life and love, as told by birds, by flowers, by trees. mary oliver reminds us to feel deeply, love truthfully and to appreciate the small miracles which take place around us every single day.
this is really impactful poetry. a short collection which could easily take you hours upon hours to complete as you amble peacefully through oliver's words. highly recommended for the nature lovers and hopeless romantics among you <3
September 30, 2023
and you have a person in your life whose hand
you like to hold?
"yes, i do."
it must surely, then, be very happy down there
in your heart.
"yes," i said. "it is."
this was sweet, i like sweet things
you like to hold?
"yes, i do."
it must surely, then, be very happy down there
in your heart.
"yes," i said. "it is."
this was sweet, i like sweet things
Read
September 12, 2021Three beautiful sections (The Journey, Love, and Felicity). I knew I would love it as soon as I saw the Rumi quote, and Rumi kept coming back. You got me. So many favourites in this collection, to the point that I want to print them out and frame them. Also, let me quickly touch on this Rumi thing, because why not, might as well here: The Coleman Barks translations SUCK. I read the original Persian for the poems that Oliver mentioned, and they were honestly maybe about 10% of what Barks “translated�. What a travesty. Anyway, here are my favourites from this collection:
- Don’t Worry
- Nothing Is Too Small Not to Be Wondered About
- Storage
- For Tom Shaw S.S.J.E. (1945-2014)
But my absolute favourite poem is Moments:
- Don’t Worry
- Nothing Is Too Small Not to Be Wondered About
- Storage
- For Tom Shaw S.S.J.E. (1945-2014)
But my absolute favourite poem is Moments:
There are moments that cry out to be fulfilled.
Like, telling someone you love them.
Or giving your money away, all of it.
Your heart is beating, isn’t it?
You’re not in chains, are you?
There is nothing more pathetic than caution
when headlong might save a life,
even, possibly, your own.
March 17, 2022
re read #2: 17/03/2022
third year straight of being reinvented by my favorite book... another summer, and once again i am drinking the sun!! thank you mary oliver i am the luckiest
re read: 04/05/2021
“everything that was broken has forgotten its brokenness. i live now in a sky-house, through every window the sun. also your presence. our touching, our stories. earthy and holy both. how can this be, but it is. every day has something in it whose name is Forever.�
16/02/2020
i don’t want to lose a single thread from the intricate brocade of the tenderness which is this book.
favorites: moments, i am pleased to tell you, storage, late spring & a voice from i don't know where.
third year straight of being reinvented by my favorite book... another summer, and once again i am drinking the sun!! thank you mary oliver i am the luckiest
re read: 04/05/2021
“everything that was broken has forgotten its brokenness. i live now in a sky-house, through every window the sun. also your presence. our touching, our stories. earthy and holy both. how can this be, but it is. every day has something in it whose name is Forever.�
16/02/2020
i don’t want to lose a single thread from the intricate brocade of the tenderness which is this book.
favorites: moments, i am pleased to tell you, storage, late spring & a voice from i don't know where.
August 12, 2022
3,5*
#WITMonth
A CAMINHO DO INDIAN RIVER
Estou pronta para a Primavera, mas ela não chegou.
Por enquanto.
Ainda assim, dou o meu passeio, em busca de algum
encantamento prematuro.
É sobretudo atitude. Estou certa
de que verei algo.
Sigo pelo trilho, perscrutando
todas as direções.
Os mangues, como sempre, erguem-se na sua amada água,
as suas novas folhas tão pequenas e delicadas
e pálidas.
E, vê! O modo como o sol nascente
lhes bate,
poderiam ser flores
abrindo-se!
Gosto da atitude de Mary Oliver nos belíssimos e puros poemas reunidos nesta colectânea, mas às vezes é demasiado luminosa e zen para o meu feitio como leitora de poesia.
COMO TE AMO?
Como te amo?
Ah, desta forma e daquela.
Ah, alegremente. Talvez
possa elaborar por
DzԲٰçã?
Assim, e
assim e
sem mais palavras agora
#WITMonth
A CAMINHO DO INDIAN RIVER
Estou pronta para a Primavera, mas ela não chegou.
Por enquanto.
Ainda assim, dou o meu passeio, em busca de algum
encantamento prematuro.
É sobretudo atitude. Estou certa
de que verei algo.
Sigo pelo trilho, perscrutando
todas as direções.
Os mangues, como sempre, erguem-se na sua amada água,
as suas novas folhas tão pequenas e delicadas
e pálidas.
E, vê! O modo como o sol nascente
lhes bate,
poderiam ser flores
abrindo-se!
Gosto da atitude de Mary Oliver nos belíssimos e puros poemas reunidos nesta colectânea, mas às vezes é demasiado luminosa e zen para o meu feitio como leitora de poesia.
COMO TE AMO?
Como te amo?
Ah, desta forma e daquela.
Ah, alegremente. Talvez
possa elaborar por
DzԲٰçã?
Assim, e
assim e
sem mais palavras agora
September 8, 2021
at this point may i simply say that i love mary oliver for her way of viewing life and for making me feel seen and comforted
November 5, 2023
”I don’t want to lose a single thread
from the intricate brocade of this happiness.
I want to remember everything.
Which is why I’m lying awake, sleepy
but not sleepy enough to give it up.�
this feeling !!! god i adored this
from the intricate brocade of this happiness.
I want to remember everything.
Which is why I’m lying awake, sleepy
but not sleepy enough to give it up.�
this feeling !!! god i adored this
June 30, 2017
It seems you love this world very much.“Yes,� I said. “This beautiful world.�
And you don’t mind the mind, that keeps you
busy all the time with its dark and bright wonderings?
“No, I’m quite used to it. Busy, busy,
all the time.�
And you don’t mind living with those questions,
I mean the hard ones, that no one can answer?
“Actually, they’re the most interesting.�
And you have a person in your life whose hand
you like to hold?
“Yes, I do.�
It must surely, then, be very happy down there
in your heart.
“Yes,� I said. “It is.�
Beautiful, touching...
January 11, 2022
Mary Oliver I love you, have a cupcake 🧁�
January 1, 2016
Things take the time they take. Don't
worry.
How many roads did St. Augustine follow
before he became St. Augustine?
That is how Mary Oliver starts The Journey, the first part of her latest book that goes by the name of Felicity. How brilliantly appropriate, wouldn't you say? Reading this first poem titled Don't Worry on the very first day of a new year. Makes you think about the urgency of the resolutions whispered before midnight...
Mary Oliver's voice feels familiar, as if you have been listening to it since the moment you took your very first breath. Inner peace in the middle of the turmoil that is life, that's how I would describe her voice. There's a wiseness to it... Not self-proclaimed, though. There's respect, to each her/his own pace. She sees with her heart, her hopes and fears, and she then lays these portraits gently on the page with the help of words.
Only if there are angels in your head will you ever, possibly, see one.
If I were you, I would buy this book and read a poem a day. I believe it might be one of the ingredients of the recipe to happiness. And if you don't find it in her voice, do not give up. One will come that will resonate with you.
And just like that, like a simple neighborhood event, a miracle is taking place.
I honestly believe Felicity is the reassuring hand as you take a leap of faith, as you dive in head first into the immense universe that is life. Even through the darkest moments, it will guide you.
Every day has something in it whose name is Forever.
January 20, 2020
“Do the trees speak?
Do the trees speak back to the wind when
the wind offers some invitational comment
as some of us do?
Do they also talk to the sun?
I believe so. And if such belief need rest on evidence
Let me just say, sometimes it’s an earful
But there is more,
if you can hear the trees in their easy hours,
of course you can also hear them later crying out
at the sawmill.�
I can no longer clearly see the trees, but I can hear them rustle in the wind. I can smell them and feel their shade, and most of all I can feel the leaves, their texture, and their shape. Aand I can almost tell you by their shape what kind of trees they are. If only I try. I can also hug the trees and wish them a long life, free from all dangers for we must protect what has been lovingly given to us.
April 7, 2017
Humility
Poems arrive ready to begin.
Poets are only the transportation.
For Tom Shaw S.S.J.E. (1945�2014)
Where has this cold come from?
“It comes from the death of your friend.�
Will I always, from now on, be this cold?
“No, it will diminish. But always
it will be with you.�
What is the reason for it?
“Wasn’t your friendship always as beautiful
as a flame?�
Poems arrive ready to begin.
Poets are only the transportation.
For Tom Shaw S.S.J.E. (1945�2014)
Where has this cold come from?
“It comes from the death of your friend.�
Will I always, from now on, be this cold?
“No, it will diminish. But always
it will be with you.�
What is the reason for it?
“Wasn’t your friendship always as beautiful
as a flame?�
November 18, 2022
I said to myself that I would read this book slowly but I couldn't.
Something happened to me while reading this- it felt like a quickening in my soul.
Something happened to me while reading this- it felt like a quickening in my soul.
October 8, 2022
i first read mary oliver a couple of months ago. i read her famous collection of essays, upstream, and loved it. the writing encapsulates this beautiful and raw interpretation of nature and animals and poetry and it was great.
i hadn’t read her poetry at the time yet. and i’m so happy i did. at first, mary oliver’s poetry comes off as very bland. bland writing bland topics. but the more and more you read of hers, the more nuanced her writing get.
as i progressed in my reading of the book, the poetry felt so much more deep, as if it was some form hypnotic experience; at first you’re in your own consciousness but by the end you’re on another planet.
that’s how mary oliver feels like. she has this enchanting and beautiful writing about everything. it’s first confusing, but then it turns into this amazingly formed piece of writing.
i didn’t like this as much as upstream, but it was still good. i definitely more of her poetry.
all in all: poetry good. mary oliver good.
i hadn’t read her poetry at the time yet. and i’m so happy i did. at first, mary oliver’s poetry comes off as very bland. bland writing bland topics. but the more and more you read of hers, the more nuanced her writing get.
as i progressed in my reading of the book, the poetry felt so much more deep, as if it was some form hypnotic experience; at first you’re in your own consciousness but by the end you’re on another planet.
that’s how mary oliver feels like. she has this enchanting and beautiful writing about everything. it’s first confusing, but then it turns into this amazingly formed piece of writing.
i didn’t like this as much as upstream, but it was still good. i definitely more of her poetry.
all in all: poetry good. mary oliver good.
October 7, 2024
Mary Oliver is the best thing since sliced bread if you’re an unhinged and/or unmedicated introverted dreamer trying to find happiness in the little things and get outside yourself. Her work is the epitome of understanding the phrase “go touch some grass�
November 27, 2021
These poems will make you feel safe and in love with the world.
� (Original Thoughts) �
This might be the best poetry collection I have ever read.
Review TBC.
July 15, 2022
Who isn't inspired by the simplistic yet mesmerizing words of this wonderful poet? And so I read this work while laying in a hammock in the Colorado mountains, surrounded by the wind gently whistling through the pine trees, the sun kissing my face, the gentle rippling of a waterfall, and the symphony of bird songs cascading my ears. And this one poem stared at me through the pages:
"Do the Trees Speak"
Do the trees speak back to the wind
when the wind offers some invitational comment?
As some of us do, do they also talk to the sun?
I believe so, and if such belief need rest on
evidence, let me just say, Sometimes it's
an earful.
But there's more.
If you can hear the trees in their easy hours,
of course you can hear them later,
crying out at the sawmill.
And I realized the irony of holding Mary Oliver's book made from trees, cut down for their paper, in order for her printed word to be read.
Yet this poetry collection was not just about nature but about the beautiful love of her life. Her piercing language is breathtaking, and you will be so greatly impacted with poignancy and you will become acutely aware of the flutters of your heart as she touches your soul. Thank you, Mary Oliver, for continuing to bless us with your perfection.
"Do the Trees Speak"
Do the trees speak back to the wind
when the wind offers some invitational comment?
As some of us do, do they also talk to the sun?
I believe so, and if such belief need rest on
evidence, let me just say, Sometimes it's
an earful.
But there's more.
If you can hear the trees in their easy hours,
of course you can hear them later,
crying out at the sawmill.
And I realized the irony of holding Mary Oliver's book made from trees, cut down for their paper, in order for her printed word to be read.
Yet this poetry collection was not just about nature but about the beautiful love of her life. Her piercing language is breathtaking, and you will be so greatly impacted with poignancy and you will become acutely aware of the flutters of your heart as she touches your soul. Thank you, Mary Oliver, for continuing to bless us with your perfection.
July 23, 2021
stunning?????? beautiful ???
favs: "moments", "nothing is too small to be wondered about", "storage", "this morning", "how do i love you"
favs: "moments", "nothing is too small to be wondered about", "storage", "this morning", "how do i love you"
September 15, 2024
This slim book of poetry celebrates love, life, beauty, and spirituality. It was an enjoyable book, although I prefer her wonderful nature poems.
Whistling Swans
Do you bow your head when you pray or do you look
up into that blue space?
Take your choice, prayers fly from all directions.
And don’t worry about what language you use,
God no doubt understands them all.
Even when the swans are flying north and making
such a ruckus of noise, God is surely listening
and understanding.
Rumi said, There is no proof of the soul.
But isn’t the return of spring and how it
springs up in our hearts a pretty good hint?
Yes, I know, God’s silence never breaks, but is
that really a problem?
There are thousands of voices, after all.
And furthermore, don’t you imagine (I just suggest it)
that the swans know about as much as we do about
the whole business?
So listen to them and watch them, singing as they fly.
Take from it what you can.
Whistling Swans
Do you bow your head when you pray or do you look
up into that blue space?
Take your choice, prayers fly from all directions.
And don’t worry about what language you use,
God no doubt understands them all.
Even when the swans are flying north and making
such a ruckus of noise, God is surely listening
and understanding.
Rumi said, There is no proof of the soul.
But isn’t the return of spring and how it
springs up in our hearts a pretty good hint?
Yes, I know, God’s silence never breaks, but is
that really a problem?
There are thousands of voices, after all.
And furthermore, don’t you imagine (I just suggest it)
that the swans know about as much as we do about
the whole business?
So listen to them and watch them, singing as they fly.
Take from it what you can.
April 22, 2020
Important:::: read the edit below this, after rereading.
Note to self and others: read this when blindly in love. If read when harboring a momentary distaste for love, this book may cause you to think "tell me about love later, Mary Oliver because right now I don't entirely believe you."
Edit::: read this again, but read it about yourself.
It sometimes takes another try ❤️
Note to self and others: read this when blindly in love. If read when harboring a momentary distaste for love, this book may cause you to think "tell me about love later, Mary Oliver because right now I don't entirely believe you."
Edit::: read this again, but read it about yourself.
It sometimes takes another try ❤️
October 23, 2023
Poems with a good collection of natural metaphors
I found Oliver's poems in this book to be very intimate. She has got the ability to capture everyday moments of love. For example:
In the poem "When Did It Happen?", she writes:
This poem perfectly captures the gradual realization that one is in love. It is a process that happens over time, and it is often difficult to pinpoint the exact moment when it begins.
Another poem that I loved was "The Wildest Storm." In this poem, Oliver compares love to a storm:
She writes about the intensity and power of love, and how it can both exhilarate and terrify us.
I think Oliver's poetry writing style is similar to other poets who write about nature and the human condition, such as William Wordsworth, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson.
I found Oliver's poems in this book to be very intimate. She has got the ability to capture everyday moments of love. For example:
In the poem "When Did It Happen?", she writes:
When did I first love you?
It was not a sudden thing.
It grew, like a tree.
This poem perfectly captures the gradual realization that one is in love. It is a process that happens over time, and it is often difficult to pinpoint the exact moment when it begins.
Another poem that I loved was "The Wildest Storm." In this poem, Oliver compares love to a storm:
Love, the wildest storm
I have ever known.
She writes about the intensity and power of love, and how it can both exhilarate and terrify us.
I think Oliver's poetry writing style is similar to other poets who write about nature and the human condition, such as William Wordsworth, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson.
June 27, 2021
Storage
When I moved from one house to another
there were many things I had no room
for. What does one do? I rented a storage
space. And filled it. Years passed.
Occasionally I went there and looked in,
but nothing happened, not a single
twinge of the heart.
As I grew older the things I cared
about grew fewer, but were more
important. So one day I undid the lock
and called the trash man. He took
everything.
I felt like the little donkey when
his burden is finally lifted. Things!
Burn them, burn them! Make a beautiful
fire! More room in your heart for love,
for the trees! For the birds who own
nothing—the reason they can fly.
*
A voice from I don’t know where
It seems you love this world very much.
“Yes�, I said. “This beautiful world.�
And you don’t mind the mind, that keeps you
busy all the time with its dark
and bright wonderings?
“No, I’m quite used to it. Busy, busy,
all the time.�
And you don’t mind living with those questions,
I mean the hard ones, that no one can answer?
“Actually, they’re the most interesting.�
And you have a person in your life whose hand
you like to hold?
“Yes, I do.�
It must surely, then, be very happy down there
in your heart.
“Yes,� I said. “It is.�
June 27, 2021
When I moved from one house to another
there were many things I had no room
for. What does one do? I rented a storage
space. And filled it. Years passed.
Occasionally I went there and looked in,
but nothing happened, not a single
twinge of the heart.
As I grew older the things I cared
about grew fewer, but were more
important. So one day I undid the lock
and called the trash man. He took
everything.
I felt like the little donkey when
his burden is finally lifted. Things!
Burn them, burn them! Make a beautiful
fire! More room in your heart for love,
for the trees! For the birds who own
nothing—the reason they can fly.
*
A voice from I don’t know where
It seems you love this world very much.
“Yes�, I said. “This beautiful world.�
And you don’t mind the mind, that keeps you
busy all the time with its dark
and bright wonderings?
“No, I’m quite used to it. Busy, busy,
all the time.�
And you don’t mind living with those questions,
I mean the hard ones, that no one can answer?
“Actually, they’re the most interesting.�
And you have a person in your life whose hand
you like to hold?
“Yes, I do.�
It must surely, then, be very happy down there
in your heart.
“Yes,� I said. “It is.�
June 27, 2021
February 28, 2017
This is the fourth collection of Mary Oliver poems I've read and I'm still completely in awe.
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