The matchless Mary Oliver

Still need a gift for a poetry lover on your Christmas list? Here’s my recommendation, via The Banner:

For almost 50 years, American poet Mary Oliver has been celebrated for her graceful inquisitions into the rhythms of the natural world. Her latest collection, A Thousand Mornings, continues in this same tradition, inviting readers to explore the creatures and shorelines of her beloved home, Provincetown, Mass.

Longtime fans of Oliver’s work will recognize the same patient, lyrical pilgrim who is grateful to be alive, ready to be astonished, and “full of earth-praise.” Nature enthusiasts will surely be drawn in by her imagery of black oaks, blazing sunflowers, redbirds, and sheep that “[honor] the grass/by eating it.” Yet these are also works of spiritual exploration where questions of human purpose and sacred meaning are equally chased. “Every day I’m still looking for God/and I’m still finding him everywhere,/in the dust, in the flowerbeds./Certainly the oceans,” she says. It is an honor and a joy to journey with this master. (Penguin)