Customer Reviews

Thirst: Poems

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thought to myself, "It must be about time for
Mary Oliver to have released another poetry
collection." and was so pleased to find
_Thirst_ on the shelf.

The moment I opened it I realized this was
going to be even more compelling than
nearly any other poetry I have ever read.

I sat in Barnes and Noble, crying openly,
laughing, smiling and revisiting poems
and phrases and just being amazed at the
transcendence I felt from Ms. Oliver's words.

This is a poetry book I will give to my
"non poetry" friends as well as my poetry
friends.

It is about the sacredness of life itself, it
is about love - never ending. It is about
coming to understand wholeness.

And so much more. It is difficult to express
with words how impactful this book is upon
my soul. As one reviewer said below, five stars
are not enough.

In the very first line of the very first poem of Mary Oliver's new collection of poetry, entitled Thirst, she says "My work is loving the world" (Messenger). In the very last poem of this slim volume, she says "Love for the earth and love for you are having such a long conversation in my heart" (Thirst). These poems bookend a new affirmation of faith for Oliver: For the first time in her life, at the age of 71, she is writing from an apparent Christian framework, loving the world of marshes, ponds, beaches, bears and dogs and the Creator of all these things she has so long loved.

These are poems that celebrate the world of Creation, that praise the Creator, that walk through grief (Oliver lost her long time partner and agent, Molly Malone Cook, in 1995) into resolute hope, that point beyond nature and grief to the Giver of all. Her love of nature might be seen in the way she addresses it as addressing a good friend, as in "When I Am Among the Trees," where she says

Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, "Stay awhile."
The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, "It's simple," they say,
"and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine."

There are poems about ribbon snakes, roses, a great moth, otters, Percy (her dog), and that great conversation ("And still I believe you will/ come, Lord: you will, when I speak to the fox,/ the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea goose, know/ that really I am speaking to you" (Making the House Ready for the Lord).

And then there is grief. I loved this one (Percy (Four)), so simple, so true, about doing what need be done as we wait for grief to pass and life to go on, moving faithfully yet mutely through each day:

I went to church.
I walked on the beach
and played with Percy.

I answered the phone
and paid the bills.
I did the laundry.

I spoke her name
a hundred times.

I knelt in the dark
and said some holy words.

I went downstairs,
I watered the flowers,
I fed Percy.

That's it. No emotion here. She just did what needed to be done, including praying, though she was in that state where you seem to have lost all feeling.

In the end though, after the poems of creation and poems of grief, what stand out are the affirmations of faith. In "Coming to God: First Days," she says "Lord, I would run for you, loving the miles for your sake./ I would climb the highest tree/ to be that much closer." In "Six Recognitions of the Lord," she celebrates "everywhere the luminous sprawl of gifts,/ the hospitality of the Lord and my/ inadequate answers as I row my beautiful, temporary body/ through this water-lily world." And, at last, in "Thirst," she writes "Another morning and I wake with thirst/ for the goodness I do not have. I walk/ out to the pond and all the way God has/ given us such beautiful lessons."

Mary Oliver thirsts for God. Some will disagree with her lifestyle (Molly Malone Cook was truly her life partner), but her faith seems real as is her love of the world and her experience of grief. Those are things that must resonate with us, as we are human too.

Most helpful is the accessibility of these poems. Many people will be able to read and enjoy them. The language is simple yet elegant. The "space" in the poems created by their economy is an almost aural testimony to the awe with which she regards the life of the world and, now, the One who made it all.

I highly recommend this book of poetry. It's like walkiong through a room of Monet paintings: there's not much not to love. Use it to stimulate your own love of nature and of nature's God.

Live long enough, live deep enough, and you will find, as Mary Oliver does in these 43 poems collected in "Thirst," that all grief edges joy, all joy is edged by grief. It is only in a deep and courageous immersion into life, and perhaps also that place beyond life, that one can fully experience this wonder, a kind of yin and yang, the light beside the shadow, phenomenon that is living with thirst, quenched or unquenched.

There is nothing pretentious about Oliver's poetry. She is simplicity and purity itself. Thirst is how she approaches living, and now dying - in her expression of grief for the loss of her longtime life partner. This does not change how she approaches living, only intensifies it. "My work is loving the world," she writes in her opening poem, "Messenger." She observes the world, then observes herself in it, part and parcel. "Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums./Here the clam deep in the speckled sand./Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?/Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me/keep my mind on what matters,/which is my work,/which is mostly standing still and learning to be/astonished."

Much of this collection is Oliver's conversation with God having a conversation with her. Their dialogue is filtered by nature, where everyplace is a place of worship and every living thing ministering to her and she reciprocating. Her dogs speak of unconditional love and simple acceptance, an exchanged gaze with a snake is looking into the eyes of divinity (and not the darker side). Praying can be done through the weeds in a vacant lot. The words do not have to be elaborate, Oliver writes, "but a doorway/into thanks, and a silence in which/another voice may speak." This same sentiment is echoed with utmost simplicity in the poem, "The Uses of Sorrow" - that a box full of darkness given to her by another can also be a gift, a richer blessing.

When you think you cannot go closer, or dive deeper, or come up into brighter light, as Oliver writes in her poetry - you can. Just when you think Oliver cannot elicit more beauty out of the everyday word - she does. We thirst for more.

Other reviewers have spoken well of Mary Oliver's grief at the death of her partner and her search for God. I want to mention a poem that spoke to me and said "If only.". If only our leaders would read this poem, be touched by it to move in other directions.

Mozart,for Example

All the quick notes
Mozart didn't have time to use
before he entered the cloud-boat

are falling now from the beaks
of the finches
that have gathered from the joyous summer

into the hard winter
and, like Mozart, they speak of nothing
but light and delight,

though it is true, the heavy blades of the world
are still pounding underneath.
And this is what you can do too, maybe,

if you live simply and with a lyrical heart
in the cumbered neighborhoods or even,
as Mozart sometimes managed to, in a palace,

offering tune after tune after tune,
making some hard-hearted prince
prudent and kind, just by being happy.

mary oliver is a rare balm for the heart. while my mind appreciates her simply profound use of language, a deeper transmission seems to be occuring. her work is subtle in its invitation to taste of her experience. in her love of nature i find rest.

I am a hugh fan of Mary Oliver's previous works , all of which I rated 5 stars. I rate Thirst lower because in this book, her wonderful poems about nature and animals are now mixed with prayers and poems about her experience with an established religious institution. It is quite a departure from her previous works. I rated Thirst as highly as I did because several of her poems expressing grief are brilliant.

I find poetry very enjoyable and therapeutic. This Pulitzer Prize winning poet who writes about the natural world is my cup of tea. She may be yours as well. Let me just tantalize you with a few lines from a poem called "The Summer Day" to give you a taste of what her poetry is like.

I do know how to pay attention,
how to fall down
into the grass,
how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed,
how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?"

While I have always been impressed with, and recited Oliver's poetry in church services and at school functions, I am thrilled with this book of poetry. The woman who writes about the "god of dirt," speaks of many of the emotions one who loves experiences. I believe this is her first book following the death of her partner, Molly Malone Cook, and one can sense the grief, the hope and the healing. This book will not leave my nightstand but will reside there for a long, long time.

With admission of being a Mary Oliver fan, Thirst certainly rates with her best work. Interestingly, there is a very positive, faith-filled sense to many pieces in this collection giving me a different direction to ponder.

This excellent book entitled, "Thirst" by Mary Oliver, is very exciting to read. The poems are realistic, contemporary, and inspiring to the soul. It leaves one with a sense of feeling which brings tranquility to the mind, body and spirit.

The architectural style of the poems is very pleasing to the eyes and actually gives a different feeling while reading the lines. The variation of such designs makes the poems easier to read. Her innovative style of writing also makes the poems very interesting and inspiring.

Beginning with the first poem in this excellent book, "Messenger," with such words as, "a mouth with which to give shouts of joy," set the stage for a refreshing and an encouraging read. Here she presents to us, that the mouth should be used to sing, give praises, and build things up, instead of belittling, tearing down or destroying things.

Another great poem is, "When Roses Speak, I Pay Attention." This is also an enchanting and touching poem to read. Imagine the scent of roses on Valentine's Day with such aromatic fragrance which speaks to the mind, body, and soul; who would not pay attention and listen?

Her expression in "Making the House Ready for the Lord," is very moving and evolving. She presents her questions to the Lord in such an eloquent fashion, while seeking His advice. The raccoon limping into the kitchen, fox staring boldly down the path in the new fallen snow, including the lost dog, all of which she speaks with, thus presenting such enchanting and fascinating images. Consider her words to each of them, as she says,"Come in, Come in!" This picture is similar to Like Noah and the Ark; her home was ready for the Lord.

The dynamic, inspirational, and uplifting poem "The Uses of Sorrows," certainly shows the tenacity and perseverance of the soul. It represents aspects of life we must understand and react to in a positive manner by embracing and learning from its essence. She presents to us that sorrows could actually be joy based on our perception and state of reference when receiving and processing such events.

The Epilogue entitled, "Thirst," with the same name of the book, shows her humility. She asked in a humble fashion for the granting of more time to accomplish her tasks on Earth, since she is a slow learner who is very thirsty. This is such a wonderful sign of humbleness to her Lord as she continues with her inspiration and uplifting mission of reviving souls.

This book is a must read. One has to read it to appreciate the other wonderful poems on its golden pages.

Submitted by "Epulaeryu Master."