I have this. It's lovely. Not my favorite book of poetry, but still nice. ( )

Evidence- Mary Oliver
5 stars
Here are 48 more poems from Mary Oliver. Once again she grabbed my attention from the first page. I’ll pick the book up and think, “I’ll just read one or two” and I find myself reading each of these precise, finely tuned gems over again. They provide a brief vacation, a renewal, a moment of grace. Eventually, I’ll have the best ones firmly fixed in my own memory so I can have a moment of respite any time I want one. ( )

This book is classic Oliver--lots of nature, mortality, beauty, what is the meaning of life.

"...the holiest of laws
be alive
until you are not."--from "The Singular and Cheerful Life"


"Beauty without purpose is beauty without virtue. But
all beautiful things, inherently, have this function--
to excite the viewers toward sublime thought. Glory
to the world, that good teacher."
"I ask you again: if you have not been enchanted by
this adventure--your life--what would do it for
you?"--from "Evidence"

But by far my favorite poem, the one that felt the most meaningful to me, was "To Begin With, the Sweet Grass." ( )

I always enjoy Mary Oliver. A lot of facing mortality, and an odd sort of religiosity, in these more recent poems. But a sort of god-in-nature spirit that I connect with. I should really get more of her books to have on hand. ( )

As always, some beautiful poems. an appreciatve call to pay attention to our beautiful and damaged world. (note: my copy includes a printing error that repeats 16 pages but leaves out the same number of final pages.) ( )