Customer Reviews

Red Bird: Poems

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Are you familiar with the poetry of Mary Oliver?" I asked a student once in the hope of beginning a conversation on the poem "Wild Geese," a gem that contains the lines

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.

en route to the statement "Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,/the world offers itself to your imagination." This was the line I wanted in the hope of beginning a conversation on inspiration.

"I think so," the young woman squinted, the better to scan a distant memory. "I think that's the lady who writes about, like, her dog, Percy, I think and trees. That her?"

"You can start there," I said. "And you will get to Mary Oliver."

Because Mary Oliver's poetry is about this moment in this world in this light in this weather, alone or with the dog or on the way to something or nothing. It's about being here and loving it.

I believe there is nothing worth saying about Mary Oliver. Better to spend the time reading her work, or revisiting the magic of the landscape of your life.

Her new collection Red Bird is her 12th volume of published poems. Here she speaks to the beauty of the ordinary, the environment, and the people of the world who suffer at the hands of those who love power.

The world offers itself to your imagination. Accept the invitation and walk with this wonderful woman from Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Mary Oliver's simple, spiritual, nature infused poetry was never better. She teaches us all to watch all the details of Gods creations without preaching. We learn from the movement of her poetry, to recognize a cardinal when he lands, to know the names of all of natures wonders: pine needles and prairie dogs, cypress and elm,and we love the class as we learn. She faces life's curve balls with the wit and eye of a portrait painter who sees the tattered dress she wears as a badge not a burden. And she is aging so gracefully. I hope I do as well.

How beautifully we are invited in this most beautiful of Mary Oliver's books, to cease our restless strivings, to simply stand still, to listen, to watch, and to breathe in in gratitude for all that Life presents! Her words paint the invitation for us in tones that are sometimes as gentle as water-colours, sometimes as vibrant as a rich oil painting, revealing her awareness in the moment, telling us so much about her own love for life in all its forms. One of her great gifts is that ability to draw us to her as well as to the miracle of life around us, so that we have the feeling of walking the same path with her in companionable joy each moment. - It has been a great read, one that has brought much peace and a feeling of tranquillity and wellbeing to my spirit.

I had the privilege of seeing Mary Oliver in person; her physical appearance was so like her poetry. Human, present, honest and brilliant. A woman asked her a question, then the woman began to cry and the audience came to a slightly embarrassed quiet. Mary called out "Are you crying?" The woman barely answered, but one could hear her say "yes". "Good for you" said Mary, which just about brought the house down with sympathy and relief.
This was shortly after her partner died; the book is full of her courage, grief and ability to recognize the wonders in life even as her heart is aching. A must read for every woman who has ever expressed a love of poetry.

This is one of the best books by Mary Oliver I've read. If you want to read some great work by an award winning poet, this is the place to start.

A few lines from this book:

"I was surrounded by the beautiful crying forth of the ideas of God. One of which was you."

"Put your lips to the world and live your life."

The poems in the books are largely nature inspired, but there is more. There is a poem about Iraq, Our culture, her dog Percy. All these poems are great, fun, light spirited and deep.

Mary Oliver has a simple way of personifying nature, and life that make her poetry easy to read, relatable, and unpretentious.

Her poetry is inspiring, and more so in this book than any of her others that I have read.

Mary Oliver's 12th book of poetry, Red Bird is wonderful. I not being a poetry aficionado never-the-less found much to appreciate in her work. Her poems are clear and easy to understand; a refreshing change for someone like me that does not necessarily "get" some of the denser poets. More so, I found her poetry to be highly inspirational. While reading I found myself thinking multiple times "this would be a good poem to live the day by." At least one of the poems consists of no more than two lines and the title, yet the short length does not diminish the meaning or the depth of what she wants to convey. A few lines of her poem "The Teachers" clearly illustrate what I believe she accomplishes in her work:

So I do not go
Far from that school
With its star-bright
Or blue ceiling,

And I listen to those teachers,
And others too -
The wind in the trees
And the water waves - (9-16)

She truly "listens" to the world around her and transposes what she sees and hears into the written word. Some of her poems are light-hearted, some sad, others thought-provoking, and others purely comical. My particular favorites had to be the ones about Percy, as I myself have a "Percy" at home. Give this book a try even if you are not a "poetry fan" I guarantee you'll find at least one poem that you'll take away in your heart. Now I'm off to find her other poetry books. Yes, me, the non-poetry fan.

I cannot get enough of Mary Oliver's poetry. "Red Bird" is one of her best. She takes you to the world of birds and wildlife in ways that help you see life differently. Peaceful yet sad. Moving.

I read a short review of this book and purchased it as a result. It is the first book of poems I have ever bought and it is worth every penny. The writing is evocative, lyrical and brilliant. The poems often take you to a place that you have been yearning to go to; places of peace, reflection and innocence.

Who can resist Mary Oliver's poems, word pictures and thoughts.
If this is your first introduction to Oliver, you won't be
disappointed. Read it in a garden spot, or at the seashore, in nature, anywhere.

Sit down with an old friend.Like William Stafford , Mary Oliver is a poet you'd like to have dinner with. Her poems involve us with nature and its impact on our souls.A rallying cry for the preservation of all living things.