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I have treasured Mary Oliver's poetry for a number of years. This new collection, West Wind, is both a departure and a development from her earlier work. Nature is her muse, and she still uses nature's events as metaphors for spiritual awareness and growth - what's new is looser, more varied poetic forms and a playfulness coupled with "death" as a recurring theme. Mary, at 60-plus, is facing mortality. As a reader, she can take me anywhere and I'm more than willing to go - even into death. She is not only my favorite poet, but my most important spiritual teacher as well. This book has a place in everyone's poetry and/or dharma collection.
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This book, to me, is about as good as poetry gets. I'm not a guy who reads a lot of poetry, but I've always enjoyed reading Mary Oliver's writing when I'm camping or exploring, and this book is among her best. She has an amazing feel for the natural world, and does a terrific job of transfering something as abstract as the feeling of a sunset into ordered, beautiful words. This is the kind of poetry even people who hate poetry might enjoy.
My older sister gave me a copy of this book a couple of years before she committed suicide. The copy she gave me was full of notes she'd written to me throughout it, and I have searched everywhere for that copy. I think I must have left it somewhere, or given it away or thoughtlessly sold it before my sister died. If anyone out there ever comes across a used, paperback copy of "West Wind" inscribed to Mike from LeeAnne, I would pay almost anything to buy it from you.
(No forgeries, please.)
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Pausing to read Mary Oliver's West Wind is similar to stopping my busy life long enough to step outside and observe nature; when I make time for such activity, I am grateful that I did.
Oliver's love for nature is inspiring, and as with nature, it is easy to lose myself in her words. West Wind is divided into three parts. Part I opens with an excerpt that illustrates the connection between man and nature from a biography about Oliver's influence, William Blake. This sets the tone for Part I. The poetry here captures Oliver's solitude as she explores trees, animals, weather, and the sky. In "Am I Not Among the Early Risers," Oliver describes the amazement she feels for the natural world, a feeling that has not changed since she was twenty. (She was in her sixties when she wrote West Wind.) Despite the beauty she describes, there are also hints of darkness and death. I find Oliver's perspective about death to be very comforting. She views death as just as significant to nature as life, and she calls death "the last wonderful work" in "Shelley," advising her readers not to worry because "from utter darkness...comes light's snowy field."
Wind is a recurring image associated with death in several poems, and Part 2, titled West Wind, is an extended prose poem that reads like a reflection on lessons learned and a life well-lived, as well as an inquiry into what death will bring. Part 3 has only one poem, titled "Have You Ever Tried to Enter the Long Black Branches." Oliver calls the reader to take action, to "get up, put on your coat, leave your desk" while "there is time left." In this poem, she asks a question that will stay with me forever: "Listen, are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?"
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to spend about an hour or so with Mary Oliver, seeing life and death through her eyes. It will be a breath of fresh air.
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This is a wonderful book with a special and unique style of poetry. This is the 4th book written by Mary Oliver I have enjoyed reading. The first part of the book starts with the poem, "Seven White Butterflies," which is just so wonderful. One is able to see the beautiful images of the butterflies doing what they do best as illustrated by Oliver.
The series of "Three Songs" is very inspiring and will uplift the mind while reading. If in a singing mood, the words in these pieces will have you humming the notes to a melody while reading. These are marvelous pieces to sooth the soul.
The book is divided into three parts. Each parts has a blend of excellent poems for relaxation and enhancing the mind poetically. Part two consists mostly of prose poetry with a variety of blends and potent images. One of the poems in part two relates to a cricket. One is able to follow the theme flowing through this piece in an enjoyable manner without missing a beat in the lines.
Part three is also phenomenal! The words in "Have You Ever Tried to Enter the Long Black Branches" is equally uplifting and inspiring. This piece will stretch the imagination to think while reading. The poetic architecture use by Oliver gives each poem and different view, which is pleasing for the eye as one reads the lines. Mary Oliver has certainly given us an inspiring foresight into God's nature. Her love of natural surrounding and the open air has provided many golden nuggets in this book. This is a wonderful poetry book to read for the soothing of the mind, body and soul.
Posted by "Epulaeryu Master."
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I have been waiting so long for new poems from Mary Oliver...and it was worth the wait. These are just as beautiful as the poems in White Pine, Twelve Moons, etc. I especially prize the way Oliver finds lessons about love and life from her observations of nature. Check it out, you won't be disappointed
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