In this nature poem Mary Oliver tells us to open ourselves to “God or the gods,” to listen for “the words that will never leave God’s mouth,” to linger in the wind and the rain and to wander slowly through forests,
Tag Archives: Mary Oliver
Wander Slowly through the Forest
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Leaves and Blossoms along the Way", forests, Nature, Spirituality Comments closed
Stillness, One of the Doors of the Temple
The Biblical story where Jesus visits the home of Mary and Martha can be read as an injunction to eschew busyness and focus on God. This Mary Oliver poem captures the spirit of such a lesson.
Pope Foresaw GOP Capitulation to Trump
Alexander Pope warned, in “Essay on Man” that vice loses its ugliness once it becomes familiar. This is the danger we face with the normalization of Donald Trump.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Old Whorehouse", 2016 presidential election, Alexander Pope, Donald Trump, Essay on Man, politics Comments closed
A White Cross Streaming across the Sky
Today’s Easter poem is Mary Oliver’s “The Swan,” in which everything suddenly becomes clear.
Introducing a New Genre: Cli-Fi
Weather disappeared largely from literature when it was seen unrealted to the actions of humans. With climate change now upon us, however, a new literary genre has arisen.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged climate change, extreme weather, global warming, John Milton, Lost Children, Pjlds; Comments closed
Why Read Lit? Let Me Count the Reasons
I grapple today about why it is essential to read lit. And what happens to us when we don’t.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Blossom", Asphodel, ethical reading, Great House, Hero with a Thousand Faces, John Milton, Joseph Campbell, Nicole Krauss, Paradise Lost, reading, William Carlos Williams Comments closed
Out of the Blackness Every Morning
Many of Mary Oliver’s poems, including “The Sun,” function well as Easter poems.
Pesticides vs. Sweetness and Wings
Monarch butterflies and bees are in grave danger. Poems by Scott Bates and Mary Oliver remind us what we will lose if we don’t move to protect them.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "The Underside of Heaven's Gates" endangered species, bees, environmental devastation, happiness, hive collapse, monarch butterflies, Nature, Scott Bates Comments closed
