A Thousand Mornings: Poems

Nice

This is my first time reading any of Oliver's poems. My initial reaction was, "Meh," but the last third of the book was simply beautiful. Try reading it backwards if you're a newbie like me.

When I arrived home from the community Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday I noticed that I had not brought in my mail from Wednesday. I was feeling a little low, mostly from being tired and a bit from missing my family. When I opened the front door to retrieve my mail, I almost missed a slim cardboard box propped up against the house. A package from Amazon.com. Oh joy of joys! I had almost forgot that I had placed an order for Mary Oliver’s twenty-second book of poems, A Thousand Mornings. You cannot imagine my smile as I tore the box open and saw its cover.One can never feel low or lonely when there is a book of Mary Oliver poems in one’s hands.I knew I had plenty of work to finish that evening, but first things first. I opened a Flying Bison Blizzard Bock, ran a hot bath and settled in for a soak, sip and read.It is an event in my life, when a new Mary Oliver book is published. In the past so many years I have celebrated the arrivals of Evidence, Thirst, Swan, and Red Bird. I have purchased at least five copies of her New and Selected Poems because I can’t help but give them away when I meet someone who has never heard of her before. And each time I receive a new title it is my constant companion for weeks upon weeks. If you find it strange that a book of poems can be a companion, then you have not met a Mary Oliver poem yet.A Thousand Mornings is a slender volume, seventy-six pages, and yet how many hours of pleasure, contemplation and company it contains. When I read Oliver’s poems I am always transported to my own experiences. The places she unfolds in her work are so similar to my favourite places at the farm, the creatures I encounter, the plants and trees and insects, that I am immersed in that world but with an even closer view. Because this is what Mary does, illuminates the most intricate details of what she notices, and somehow brings a universal light to the profound human experience as well. Amazement. Awe. Wonder. Gratitude. Reverence. For all that lives, and also dies.I have noticed over the past several books she has published that more and more she is slipping more personal, more intimate details of her own life within the words. Mary is notoriously private, rarely gives interviews, and has often spoke of how she keeps her private and personal life out of her work, at least in a confessional way. But in A Thousand Mornings there are several poems that are intimate to her life, much more so than in any of her other works. And yet there is still nothing confessional about them, only an expansive wisdom that never says, “this is the answer,” but instead leaves only questions in the reader’s mind. Questions and a sense of amazement for the world, and tremendous comfort. Mary Oliver is a poet who honours mystery. I find immeasurable comfort in that.Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

I loved this so much, I gave my copy away. Missed it so much, I'm buying it again and will not part with it.

A wonderful collection of Ms. Oliver’s work. Her subjects and rhythms carried me to a warm place in my heart.

I have loved great poetry most of my life. I prefer the old masters of poetry and usually stay away from the contemporary or so-called "modern day" poets. However, I was pleasantly surprised at this collection by Mary Oliver. I bought this book for my wife and decided to also read it. I do like her style and the fact that most of her poems are clear, easy to read and understand. She writes about her everyday experiences in simple and effective prose that makes it a real pleasure to read. One of the reasons I seldom read some of the contemporary poetry journals is because in many cases, the poetry rambles on forever with meaningless and incoherent verbiage. I sometimes wonder if the people who write this kind of poetry are residents of an insane asylum. I am always amazed that many of these present day "free verse" poets are praised by the pseudo-intellectuals who publish these journals.This is why it is so refreshing to read a collection of poems by a true poet like Mary Oliver.In conclusion, this is a sometimes interesting (but not great) collection of poems, but if you like Mary Oliver's poetry you should check out this volume. I found it an easy read and she is a wonderful poet I certainly would read her work again.Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: The Samurai Soul: An old warrior's poetic tribute)

Mary Oliver's collection of poems, A Thousand Mornings, published this fall, is a poignant meditation on nature and the self. It reminded me of the nature writings of Annie Dillard, the essays of Thoreau and Emerson, and the poems of Whitman and the Transcendentalists. Oliver could be an adopted poet of that movement.The poems are almost naked, sometimes abrupt, but if nature could speak, this is what she could say. Oliver is certainly awed by her surroundings, the sea, animals and the spirituality of nature. I think the best way to depict her style is to include one of her poems.I Go Down to the ShoreI go down to the shore in the morningand depending on the hour the wavesare rolling in or moving outand I say, oh, I am miserable,what shall--what should I do? And the sea saysin its lovely voice:Excuse me, I have work to do.I had never heard of Mary Oliver before reading this little black and grey book of poems. I felt ignorant for not having heard of her. She is one of the most renowned poets of our time, a Pulitzer Prize winner and a recipient of the National Book Award.Pithy and stark, her new collection is a quick read, but you find yourself reading each poem over and over again. They are unlike anything I've ever read, and I highly recommend them to other readers of nature and spirituality.

Mary Oliver is one of my most favorite poets. This collection is one of her finest.

Mary Oliver é um daqueles autores que através da sua obra nos faz cair de amores por suas paixôes. Talvez até mais do que seus poemas em si, os objetos aos quais Mary (a chamo assim pois é difícil não se sentir íntimo depois de todas essas manhãs em companhia da autora) dirige seu olhar encantado, como uma varinha de condão, se transformam de maneira esplêndida: pássaros pousados numa árvore, um jardineiro cuidando das flores, um mar "azul cinza verde lavanda". Sua poesia é um convite a ver um mundo que, como a autora reconhece, está deixando de existir. Mas que nada nos impede de tentar reconstruí-lo.Uma pequena ressalva apenas ao material da capa, que por algum motivo, nessa edição, se arrebitou nas quatro pontas e deixou a mostra alguns traços de plástico, como se submetido ao calor. E isso logo nas primeiras semanas de comprado. Vamos procurar melhorar os materiais da capa, Penguin!

Wonderful poetry, great imagery. Probably best read over a long period of time because the communing with nature theme can get a bit tedious.

This is a small book of Oliver’s poem. As usual they are beautifully written but not as great composed in other poem volumes

Mary Oliver transports me to her moments of ‘seeing’ and reflection. She reminds me to look and be, so that I ‘see and feel’ wholly. A simply wonderful poet.

Yes