As is traditional with this blog, we share a Mary Oliver poem about a magical encounter with a deer–which recalls Mary Magdalene’s magical encounter with Jesus in the garden.
Tag Archives: Mary Oliver
Absent from This World, Alive in Another
Ollie the Bobcat, Whirlwind of Light
Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi” helps explain why Ollie, the bobcat who escaped from the National Zoo, returned on her own. Her time in the spotlight gives me an excuse to share a pulsating bobcat poem by Mary Oliver.
Wander Slowly through the Forest
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,
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.
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.
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.

