Welcome to Litsy!

Last year, I began the tradition of birthday bibliomancy using Mary Oliver‘s “Devotions.”

I sit somewhere peaceful, gently ruffle the pages with my eyes closed, and stop flipping when it feels right. This morning, I sat by a stream leading to the ocean at dawn. I landed on “Where Does the Temple Begin, Where Does It End?” The following words, which I found on page 186 (coincidentally, my birth month and year) will guide my year, 👇🏻

What a lovely package @julieclair And so beautifully wrapped. Thank you for everything, I can‘t wait to have a mug of hot chocolate and read some of these gorgeous poems. #jolabokaflod is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. Merry Christmas 🎄🎁

#WickedWhispers Day 6: #Howl

Organized by Mary Oliver herself shortly before her death, this presents a selection of work spanning her entire career. She chose poems from each of her books and arranged them in reverse chronological order. I loved seeing which pieces were meaningful to her personally, or at least which remained and became meaningful to her over time, and I loved seeing the progression of her writing. The more of her work I read, the more I love her.

#weirdwords #weirdwordeednesdays @CBee

I first heard this word in the children‘s song when I was very young and to little me Kookaburra sounded like a nonsense word. Aside from the fact that I‘m not Australian and had no cause to see one or hear it discussed as wildlife, maybe because it doesn‘t get an article in the song so it resembled a name like Kermit or Snuffleupagus? Not sure… ⬇️

#AboutABook #Poetry

On Mt. TBR

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#ofpoetry #aboutabook @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#weirdwords #weirdwordwednesdays @CBee

#AboutABook #OfPoetry @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

My current morning poetry read. So good to be back spending more mornings with Mary Oliver 🩶🤍

🖤

#weirdwords #weirdwordswednesday @CBee

Is anyone else excited anytime they read another description for the wind besides whispering which is so painfully overused it‘s almost its own cliche?

#CoverLove #White @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

"I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not, how shall
I correct it?

Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?

Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.

Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang."

#PoetryMatters Day 10: #Unsuitable

#SummerSouls Day 27: #Perfect poem for 14 year old Snickers who passed away onto the rainbow bridge last week - the very first dog I have ever loved.

The treasury of Mary Oliver‘s life work. Each poem selected by her before her passing. Bookmarks on every other page. The way she expressed her spirituality- in profound gratitude, in marveli, in love.

After a few days of non-stop rain it was finally sunny and beautiful yesterday! I took advantage of the beautiful weather to read outside at the park for a bit. Everything is starting to bloom and blossom! ☀️🌿📖

Happy Friday, littens! 💕📚

I just adore Mary Oliver's poems! Her writing is so beautiful!

Mary Oliver makes me want to run outside and notice everything. The tagged is her greatest hits. I keep it on my nightstand and read it when I need to guarantee good dreams.

5 ⭐️s
poignant, raw, startling, insightful, deep, beautiful. a walk through life holding the hand of nature.

"Snow was falling, so much like stars filling the dark trees that one could easily imagine its reason for being was nothing more than prettiness." - Mary Oliver

#poetrymatters I didn‘t have a word for the 24th (I may have just missed an update that included one) so I‘m sharing a poem for the autumnal equinox, which was yesterday. @TheSpineView

A wonderful way to end a day.

I bet you didn‘t think I‘d stick to my New Year‘s Resolution this year. Or…maybe you did. But I didn‘t! Anyway, I wrote another blog post — this time, about my birthday.

You can read it here:
https://tinyurl.com/ImpossibleHoney

Still rejoice in her recounting of sensual delights of Nature, colour, texture, sound, temperature, taste, gratitude in satisfied appetites, beauty of all beings. Not into the preachy poems (God-focused or criticizing materialism), where reverence for Nature begins to feel cult-y. Appreciate few instances where travel gave way to recognizing privilege, and at home acknowledgement of indigenous claim to land.

Quenched.

August, p.365.
Can't you just taste it?

🌧️💧💙 Always loved the rain... partly that life giving aspect; partly that freshening of the atmosphere.

🌳

Could also be instructions for writing.

Storage, p. 7.

What I plan to do with my one wild and precious life 😃

ModernMrsDarcy.com Book Club is reading poetry in April. Their team has put together the Modern Mrs Darcy Poetry Collection with thirty of their favorite poems. In addition to the custom poetry collection, we're reading optional flight pick titles:

•What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer
•Selected Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks
•Kyrie by Ellen Bryant Voigt
•An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo
•Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver

#PoetryMatters @TheSpineView #Outrageous

I adore Mary Oliver 💚

#ItHadToBeYou Day 18: This is a #HappilyEverAfter kind of poem from Mary Oliver.

“But here‘s the kingdom we call remembrance
with its thousand iron doors
through which I pass so easily,

switching on the old lights as I go-
while the dead wind rises and the old rapture rewinds,
the stiff waters once more begin to kick and flow”.

“After excitement we are so restful. When the thumb of fear lifts, we are so alive”.

I was only familiar with a small handful of Mary Oliver‘s poems before reading this collection, and it was a real pleasure getting to know more of her work. Oliver gets pigeonholed, I think, as a poet whose work doesn‘t have edge or depth, but I think that is profoundly wrong. There are contemplative nature poems here, but also angry poems and sexy poems, and throughout the collection, the presence of death can be felt. Definitely worth the read.

Someone sent me the photo and it made me laugh, which brought to mind Mary Oliver‘s poem, Don‘t Hesitate. Hope you find a smile and some joy from it as well. :-)

Next

One of my favorite poems from one of my favorites poetry collections. #Adventathon

4/5

This is a wonderful collection of Mary Oliver's poems across her lifetime. With all her work, her awareness of the world around her makes me want to pay more attention to the world around to see the beauty in the every day. The collection contained some of my favorite poems and many that I hadn't read before.

I really HATE to bail on this book. Her poems are wonderful. I reached a point where I wasn't excited to read the book and I didn't want that to happen. I'll pick it up later.
This decision is in NO WAY a reflection of the quality of Oliver or her work.

Oh to be 70 and full of beans. What a dream.
#poetry

"Joy is not made to be a crumb."
#poetry

"...and sang"

#peace #happiness #worry #fear #anxiety #poetry

#poetry

Started reading this book of #poetry

Because I‘ve signed up for two Fall swaps, I‘m posting my Wish Lists here. My mystery match for each swap should probably avoid the books posted on my Wish List for the other.

I hope you have fun shopping! This is my list for the #BasicWitchSwap #BWS.

P.S. I once read a Mary Sue article that referred to Emily as “Anne Shirley's weird Wednesday Addams goth cousin,” & it‘s been on my TBR ever since. 🖤

Full titles tagged below.