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Why I Wake Early
Why I Wake Early: New Poems | Mary Oliver
48 posts | 30 read | 48 to read
"Mary Oliver continues to tutor us in attention, gratitude, and reverence in this new collection of 47 poems."--Frederick and Mary Ann Brussat, authors of "Spirituality Legacy."
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Lcsmcat
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Pickpick

Finishing this collection is a great way to start the day. And to remind myself how I want the day to continue. Lovely awareness of the beauty around us, and the joy to be found, if we will only focus on it.

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DebinHawaii
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#NewYearNewBooks

Not a new book at all, but a book of poetry I love with #WhyInTitle (probably could have used it for tomorrow‘s #CloudCover prompt too!) 😉

“Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.” …beautiful 🌅

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Sounds lovely! 🥰 9mo
Eggs Poetry can be so life-giving 🥰 9mo
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wanderinglynn
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This week, I took a reflective writing class, entitled Autumn Harvest, where we looked the painting Autumn on the Hudson by Jasper Francis Cropsey & studied 3 Mary Oliver poems: Song for Autumn; Goldenrod, Late Fall; and Snow Geese. Then did some reflective writing using the painting and poems. It was a great session.

#poetrymatters

TheBookHippie How wonderful!!! 12mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 12mo
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Bookwormjillk
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#12booksof21 #12booksof2021 @Andrew65

Mary Oliver‘s books of poetry are usually at the top of my lists and November was no different!

Andrew65 Great to see poetry represented. 3y
DivineDiana I love this book and Mary Oliver! 3y
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Bookwormjillk
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Pickpick

Mary Oliver‘s poetry soothes my heart, and I was so glad to curl up with this last night. She was just so good.

SamanthaMarie My husband and I have been reading a poem a day of hers, we just finished the tagged book. She was so good. Some of her poetry feels like therapy, some of it feels like admonishing from a loved one, some of it is the perfect reflection on nature. All of it, good. ♡ 3y
Bookwormjillk @SamanthaMarie what a great tradition! 3y
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Bookwormjillk
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I‘m very curious about what this shopping center is/was.

megnews I‘m in northern Ohio. I‘m curious too! 3y
megnews Mary Oliver was born in Maple Heights. I think it‘s Southgate USA. It was built in ‘55 when she was 20. 3y
Crazeedi @megnews hmm that would not be that far from me! How close to Erie Pa are you?? 3y
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megnews @Crazeedi a little over 2 hours. I‘m about 30 minutes west of Cleveland. 3y
Bookwormjillk @megnews thank you! I went to Hiram and was curious if I had ever been there. I don‘t know Maple Heights though. 3y
Chelsea.Poole Sad but lovely. Ps— I‘m also in Ohio ☺️ 3y
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Amandajoy
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1. The tagged book and my current read (The House in the Cerulean Sea)
2. Mostly by color and sort of by subject.
3. I was trying to take a shelfie selfie with the puppy, but he was having none of it, so you can see the shelves in the background.

wanderinglynn What a face! ❤️🐶 How do you resist? So cute! (edited) 4y
Amandajoy @wanderinglynn I don‘t, he‘s spoiled. 4y
EvieBee What a cutie! 4y
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JenReadsAlot Omg adorable! 4y
Eggs I love your color groupings on the shelves! And cute dog 🐶❤️📚 4y
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effani
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Pickpick

I understand now why Mary Oliver is so well loved. Her poems use such vivid imagery of nature that I found myself wishing I knew how to paint, and they never once made me feel unintelligent like so much poetry does.

There was more Christian imagery than I expected, which I found jarring and unpleasant, but obviously others will feel differently.

#ReadHarder2021: a book of nature poems.

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Tomigirl44
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Pickpick

I love any book of Mary Oliver‘s.

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BookishMarginalia
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Bookwormjillk Love her poetry 4y
TrishB Lovely ❤️ 4y
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tenar
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I keep a daily gratitude journal, and sometimes I find it difficult to do properly. I never run out of things to write down, but there are days I struggle to tap into a genuine feeling of thankfulness.

Luckily, for those days there is Mary Oliver! Her simple poems are magic spells that never fail to make me feel grateful to just be.

Nute Lovely!💕 4y
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GatheringBooks
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llawela
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Every day
I see or hear
something
that more or less

kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle

in the haystack
of light.

Mary Oliver, Mindful

"What you see, Wasabi?" I asked just as a giant teradactyl-shaped shadow passed over us.

We both stood quietly for awhile, watching two bald eagles circling over the cliffs.

1/3 hikes done for #bfc #bfcr3. (Hackensack mtn, 2hrs).
#bookdragons

Hestapleton This is beautiful! Way to get out there! 5y
llawela @Hestapleton 🥰🥰 5y
DivineDiana Love this photo and the experience! 🦅 5y
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erzascarletbookgasm
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TheSpineView 💜💜💜 5y
IndoorDame I love Mary Oliver! 5y
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DivineDiana
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Pickpick

This is Mary Oliver, and this is exactly where I picture her. She is either walking on the beach, eyes and ears wide open, or somewhere in nature. I only found her a few years ago. Messages of all types kept coming to me with her name, and finally I listened. What a beautiful soul!
This is a short book of simple poems. I absolutely loved it!

Dolly Having almost always avoided poetry I‘ve only just discovered her. One poem I read about bringing someone into the forest with her touched me deeply. When there was an Oliver book at a recent book sale I snapped it up. 5y
DivineDiana @Dolly I always look at book sales, but never find any. Makes me think that people hold on to her books. Glad you found one! 5y
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readordierachel ❤❤❤ 5y
ValerieAndBooks @DivineDiana @Dolly I think not only do people hang onto her, it‘s also that she doesn‘t linger on the shelves for long 💖 5y
DivineDiana @ValerieAndBooks Agree! ❤️ 5y
RohitSawant Looking forward to this! 💜 5y
DivineDiana @rohit-sawant ❤️ 5y
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DivineDiana
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Daisies

At my feet the white-petaled daisies display
the small suns of their center-piece, their - if you don‘t
mind me saying so-their hearts. Of course
I could be wrong,perhaps their hearts are pale and
narrow and hidden in the roots. What do I know,
But this:it is heaven itself to take what is given,
to see what is plain; what the sun
lights up willingly...
#poemsbeforephones

TheHeartlandBookFairy My favorite flower! 5y
monalyisha Perfect! ☀️ 5y
Bibliogeekery Beautiful! 5y
AmyG Daisies are my favorite flower, too. 5y
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DivineDiana
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One

How blue is the sea,how blue is the sky,
how blue and tiny and redeemable everything is, even you,
even your eyes, even your imagination.

#poemsbeforephones

monalyisha This is new to me and I love it so much!!! 😭🌊💙 5y
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DivineDiana
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Song of the Builders

Near me, I saw
a single cricket;
it was moving the grains of the hillside

this way and that way.
How great was its energy,
how humble its effort.
Let us hope

It will always be like this,
each of us going on
in our inexplicable ways
building the universe.

#poemsbeforephones

monalyisha I love waking up to your Mary Oliver posts! 5y
DivineDiana @monalyisha So sweet! I love waking up reading Mary Oliver, and I really have you to thank for that! #poemsbeforephones💗 5y
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DivineDiana
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Mindful

Every day
I see or I hear
something
that more or less

kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle

in the haystack of light.

#poemsbeforephones

Bradleygirl 😍😍😍😍 5y
Weaponxgirl ❤️ 5y
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DivineDiana
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The Morning I Watched the Deer

The morning I watched the deer
with beautiful lips touching the tips
of the cranberries, setting their hooves down
in the dampness carelessly, isn‘t it after all
the carpet of their house,their home,whose roof is the sky?

#poemsbeforephones

monalyisha Wow! What a perfect photo find! 5y
Redwritinghood Lovely! 5y
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DivineDiana
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This World

As for spiders, how the dew hangs in their webs
even if they say nothing,or seem to say nothing.
So fancy is the world, who knows, maybe they sing.

#poemsbeforephones

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DivineDiana
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Look and See

This afternoon a gull sailing over
our house was casually scratching
its stomach of white feathers with one
pink foot as it flew.

Oh Lord, how shining and festive is your gift to us, if we,
only look, and see.

#poemsbeforephones

monalyisha I saw this earlier today & meant to tell you that I loved it! I just came back to it & only now am seeing that it‘s Mary Oliver. OF COURSE it is. 💙 5y
DivineDiana @monalyisha She was a gift to humanity. 💗 5y
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DivineDiana
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Why I Wake Early

“Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who make the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and crotchety-“

Although, I have not seen the sun for days, these words allow me to feel its power.
#poemsbeforephones

Suet624 You and me both. 🤨 snow expected tonight. Thank you for Mary. 5y
DivineDiana @Suet624 Oh no! I‘m glad Mary helped. It helped me! Where are you? I am just dealing with rain and cold, here in the suburbs of Philadelphia. 5y
Suet624 I‘m in Northern Vermont. This is the longest winter! Daffodils are out though so there‘s some hope. We tend to go from winter straight to summer around here. 🤨 5y
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DivineDiana Yes, some blooming flowers are a sign! 🌷🌼🌸 5y
kspenmoll Just love this poem- and you are right so little sun so this makes me yearn... 5y
DivineDiana @kspenmoll I do as well! 🌞 5y
MicheleinPhilly I see the sun!!!! I‘m just going to go outside and point my face directly towards it for an hour. 5y
DivineDiana @MicheleinPhilly I see it too! Will be joining you! 😀 5y
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BethMcQ
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Pickpick

Poetry meets prayer meets self-help meets a walk in the woods. Mostly read to the baby while the toddler napped.

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aeeklund
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We lost a legend today.

After my coworker told me the news this morning, I set up this small tribute. A customer, who found out from this display, told me she was glad she‘d found out in the bookstore because she was among friends.

I‘m so grateful for the book community.

Rest In peace, Mary Oliver.

Leftcoastzen Lovely!❤️❤️❤️ 6y
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BethMcQ
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What it was like for me to read Mary Oliver‘s poetry for the first time (and countless times since). I‘m sad to know there will be no more words and thankful for all she gave us. #MaryOliver

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erzascarletbookgasm
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TrishB Beautiful 💕 6y
Cathythoughts “ to ease us with warm touching, to hold us in the great hands of light “ .... ❤️beautiful (edited) 6y
Cathythoughts Good morning! It‘s morning here ... beautiful poem to start the day 6y
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LazyDays 💗 6y
VioletBramble ❤️ Mary Oliver 6y
kspenmoll ❤️❤️ 6y
Blaire Love this poem so much. 6y
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TelevisionNeighbor
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Court7
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Mehso-so

Not convinced I am a poetry person but this had a few that made me pause with appreciation.

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HeatherBookNerd
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Pickpick

I‘d read Upstream, a book of Oliver‘s essays, and knew I wanted to read some of her poetry. This is a lovely collection, and a perfect choice when I needed to redirect my brain and heart towards goodness and peace and gratitude.

#readharder #bookaboutnature @bookriot

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HeatherBookNerd
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Up with insomnia and reading Mary Oliver.

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lildeb_8
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Pickpick

Enjoying my Christmas present and finishing my first book of the year. I think Mary Oliver is my favorite poet. I hope to read a lot more of her in the coming year!

mjdowens Ooooo...I️ am a big bath taker. I️ have some Amazon gift cards and I️ think this rack is going to be my first purchase👍 7y
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Betty_Bookworm
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🖤

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DebinHawaii
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Pickpick

#90sinJuly #ItWasAGoodDay I've been trying to be more mindful, practice gratitude & find at least one simple thing in each day that delights me & reminds me that it was a good day & it's a good life. The line & poem in the pic captures that & this book of poetry-a #blameitonlitsy library e-book checkout-is beautiful, meaningful & makes me want to read more from Mary Oliver. I like how she communicates the beauty & power of nature in her words.💜📚

TrishB It's a good approach to the day 😀 7y
Cinfhen This collage needs to be a poster!!!!! 7y
JenReadsAlot That's so pretty! @cinhen I agree! 7y
tammysue Yes! The power of positive thinking👍🏻😊 7y
DebinHawaii @TrishB @whatshesreadingnow It's a nice way to end the day--thinking back in those moments. 💜😀 @Cinfhen @JenReadsAlot Thank you! 💜💜💜 7y
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DebinHawaii
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"Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness." (and in avocado toast with spicy garlic aioli).??This is my first Mary Oliver poetry experience & I'm enjoying it along with my breakfast before tackling some work. When they brought out my avocado toast this morning she said "We made it extra-pretty for Deb." ?I think it may even taste better with the spiral patten of the sauce-or maybe it's the customer service! ?#avotoast ???

Lindy 💖 Deb, how lovely it is to see that quotation, which was the one we used to introduce my mother's obituary when she died last year. 💖 7y
DebinHawaii @Lindy The whole poem and the book are lovely. I have the library ebook but may have to buy a copy. Of my own. What a beautiful way to start the obituary for your mom. 💜💜💜 7y
Zelma Special customer service always makes a meal better! 👍 7y
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DebinHawaii
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The book in the pic is a cozy mystery #ARC and isn't in the Litsy database yet but I am also reading the tagged poetry book--downloaded from the library. A good reason to wake early on Friday is to head to the coffee shop to work and for an Acai bowl & cold brew coffee with coconut milk. Happy Aloha Friday! 🌺 Hooray for the weekend! 🎉

rubyslippersreads That is too pretty to eat! 🍓 7y
HKGirl Love Mary Oliver and cozy mysteries! And that breakfast sounds amazing. 😋 7y
Michelle_2187 Breakfast envy!!!! Enjoy your book! 7y
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LauraBeth
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- Mary Oliver 💕 #litsypoetry365

ReadingEnvy 😍 8y
Lcsmcat You might enjoy this collection. It's various poets (including Oliver) and the poems are illustrated and organized by bird. It's a beautiful book 8y
Hoopiefoot @Lcsmcat Oooh-thanks for that tip! 8y
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LauraBeth Wow a thanks so much @Lcsmcat - I do ❤️ birds and poetry! One of my favorite things about Litsy is when people hand-pick a book for you 💕 Right, @Hoopiefoot? 8y
kspenmoll Read this poem when I am struggling to start my day; it so helps- ❤️ 8y
LauraBeth It really does, doesn't it @kspenmoll? 💕 8y
kspenmoll So much ...❤️ 8y
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HippieChickHomeschool
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Pickpick

If nature is your religion, these poems are like going to church. This is a #blameitonlitsy read for me. I can't remember who suggested Mary Oliver to me, but thank you! 5⭐️

HKGirl Oooh, I think it might have been me! I think you asked for other poets in addition to Billy Collins, and I said that Mary Oliver was another favorite. Whatever the case, always lovely to see another Mary Oliver fan. 💓 8y
HippieChickHomeschool @HKGirl It was you! Thank you so much! ❤️❤️❤️ 8y
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Ashley_Nicoletto
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Pickpick

Finished this beautiful little book of poetry in bed first thing this morning. (I am a creature that must sleep.) 🤣#readathon #deweys24hourreadathon

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Ashley_Nicoletto
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❤️

coffeenebula Lovely to wake up to. Thanks for sharing! ❤️ 8y
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Ashley_Nicoletto
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Mary Oliver + Lucky charms + coffee

AlaMich I miss Lucky Charms...🙁 8y
Ashley_Nicoletto @AlaMich No lucky charms?! 8y
AlaMich @Ashley_Nicoletto Sugary cereals tend to be a triggery sort of thing for me. If I have one bowl I will eat half the box. So I just stay away. 8y
Ashley_Nicoletto @AlaMich Ugh. I envy that kind of control. I need to be better about eating sugar. Sometimes once I start I can't stop. I feel you. 8y
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dixi_e
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Feb. 25: Why I Wake Early - "Watch, now, how I start the day / in happiness, in kindness." #LitsyPoetry365

I've abandoned poems these last few days as I've been finding it a chore to search out what I don't know what I'm looking for. Hoping to find some solutions ... #needmorepoetryresources

Lindy We used lines from this poem at the start of my mother's obituary notice last year. Thank you for posting it. ❤️ 8y
Lindy I think you would like 8y
rockpools This is lovely! I need to read Mary Oliver. I feel like I need a 'pool' of poetry books on hand to dip into - maybe I should find another anthology. I tend to use in-between-times to explore sites like the Scottish Poetry Library, Poetry Foundation or Poetry Translation Centre to see if anything grabs me. It's very hit or miss though... 8y
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SharonGoforth @dixi_e Do what feels right for you 😊. I appreciate all the ones you've posted. I discovered Mary Oliver just a few months ago, and now she's one of my favorites! 8y
dixi_e @SharonGoforth I didn't mean to imply I'm not liking the challenge. I do! I love it in fact. The challenge is to expand my poop of poets as yes hard to google someone you're unaware of...yet. I'm trying not to be too repetitive (no idea why, my own added challenge I guess). I just need to find some go-to resources. 😊 8y
dixi_e @RachelO - Thanks for the site suggestions. I also use Poem Hunter often but I worry about accuracy at times. I think I should dig out my uni anthology as well. Unfortunately some of the poetry books I've borrowed from the library have been underwhelming for me. 8y
dixi_e @Lindy How beautiful. 8y
dixi_e @Lindy I'm going to check out the recommendation for sure. Thanks! 8y
dixi_e @RachelO (I was also feeling like I needed to read her!) 8y
SharonGoforth @dixi_e That's ok!! I didn't take your comment that way 😊. I have the same challenge - trying to find something different when you're not sure what you're looking for 😊. The sites @RachelO mentioned are good, and there are some poetry apps I like to use as well. Pocket Poetry and The Poetry Hour are two that I like. 8y
rockpools @dixi_e @sharongoforth I might have a look at those apps too - thanks. Tbh I find anthologies quite difficult too- you don't really have time to 'get into' a poet's style or whatever, and you have to get through a fair amount of ho-hum to find the poems that get you. I'm very much still finding my way tho- I guess the more we read, the easier it'll get. 8y
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LumosNox
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BookishFeminist
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Pickpick

Mary Oliver has the power to heal. I picked this up on a whim since my library had it in & her words have been providing me so much headspace. It's like taking a tranquil walk in the woods with her. No matter what sort of mood you're in, her words are peaceful, gentle, and uplifting. She still isn't gonna get me to wake up early, though. 🌳🌸🐌🍃

#poetry #queerbooks

Bibliogeekery Mary Oliver 😍😍😍 8y
vivastory Haha no doubt. Only get up early when I'm forced to. 8y
Bette I like her too, but I'm also not waking up early for her. 😂💤😴 8y
Zelma Me neither. I am a night owl, always have been, always will be. I hate mornings, except once in a blue moon, it's kind of a novel treat to see early morning light or a sunrise. 8y
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Kirby
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a dusting of snow + twinkle lights + coffee + poetry...winning saturday morning

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Blaire
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Grieving the very recent loss of my father and finding some solace in Mary Oliver's words. And of my dad's favs: twain, Wodehouse, Blake and bob Dylan.

Bkwurm I'm so sorry for you loss. Mary Oliver is a good source of comfort and solace. ❤️ 8y
Blaire Thank you. 8y
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