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2023 Review:
Reading in a volume of poetry in a cathedral is peak vibes. Highly recommend.

This time around so many of the same lines were resonant: the wild child watching the stars being wiped away; the church that could not tame and therefore would not keep; the beloved waiting to hear the hurtless gossips of the day; the man who had eaten the dark hours and come out the other side just as kind as before.


2022 Review:
Years ago I read a book about the theology of enjoyment that was very correct and reformed and made enjoyment sound like a bottle of flat soda. Mary Oliver's poems teach this theology exponentially better because they simply show the act of enjoying with a deep sense of passion. Oliver takes my breath away, makes me laugh and wonder, and her poetry fills in gaps of reformed theology that (in the words of Lewis's "Meditations in a Toolshed") tend to look at the world (analyzing) instead of looking along it (experiencing). I will treasure and re-read her so many times. In the midst of her wonder and delight are also some incredibly profound lines on grief, loss, and wrestling with the church that are well worth pondering.