A review by nicki_j
Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver, by Mary Oliver
4.0
I knew I loved Mary Oliver because of this line from one of her poems that I discovered a while ago:
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
Even though I am not the biggest poetry fan, I really enjoyed Oliver's work, which mostly centers around nature and the profound truths it offers, in contrast to the day-to-day modern life. This book is LONG though. After a while, some of the poems ran together. But I was often struck by Oliver's ability to cut to the core with few words:
To live in this world, you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.
Oliver has earned her spot as my favorite modern poet and I know I will revisit her work again and again.
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
Even though I am not the biggest poetry fan, I really enjoyed Oliver's work, which mostly centers around nature and the profound truths it offers, in contrast to the day-to-day modern life. This book is LONG though. After a while, some of the poems ran together. But I was often struck by Oliver's ability to cut to the core with few words:
To live in this world, you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.
Oliver has earned her spot as my favorite modern poet and I know I will revisit her work again and again.