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

Exquisite
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.

A Treasure Of A Book! You Couldn’t Find A Better Gift!
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?

A reflective journey through nature and life.
A breathtaking collection that invites readers into Mary Oliver’s world of nature, introspection, and profound beauty. Each poem feels like a gentle nudge to pause, breathe, and truly observe the world around us. This book is perfect for anyone looking to connect with nature or seeking solace in the written word. If you’re a fan of poetry or just in need of a little inspiration, I highly recommend picking up this collection. It’s a treasure that I’ll cherish for years to come.

poetry
It’s Mary Oliver so it’s a great book of poetry & reveals enough slices of her work to tease us into loving her…a combination of Wendell Berry, Robert Frost And others whose main work always uses nature to cast the poems. My favorites were “mornings at black water” and “to Walden” etc.

I keep this book on my coffee table and read a couple of poems every day. It warms my heart.

A fantastic book by one of my favorite poets. The poems have the ability to transport ones thoughts to the natural environment that Mary Oliver experiences. A must read. Suggest reading slowly to savour the poems. Such a delightful read!! Wild geese is one of my favorite poems of Mary Oliver

I LOVED ITTT