Why I Wake Early

I have recently discovered Mary Oliver as a poet. I love her style and the way she perceives the world. I read this for the Massachusetts Center for the Book reading challenge - April's assignment. Glad it motivated me to seek out this book.

This is a lovely collection of poetry that touches on solitude, beauty, and the relationship between humans and nature. A few of my favorites were Why I Wake Early, The Arrowhead, Luna, and Look Again.

I've heard a great number of Mary Oliver's poems throughout my years in creative writing programs. I have never heard one I didn't not love. I was enthusiastic to finally read a complete volume of her work and I picked Why I Wake Early for no reason whatsoever. It was just the first to grab my attention.

I didn't love this collection the way I'd hope I would. There are several possible reasons for this. Perhaps this isn't Oliver's best collection. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood. Or maybe Oliver's work is best when read aloud. There were many great moments in Why I Wake Early, but there were also several times when I felt the imagery was cloying. At times I felt like I was reading a collection of Ruth Bell Graham, a poet who wrote some beautiful and inspiring poems, but who isn't particularly known for her innovative verse. And so I feel like I missed something. I blame myself. Nevertheless, Oliver's poetry was beautiful and certainly full of skill. I just didn't connect fully. Because I loved everything I'd heard before this and because I'm sure it was all my fault I didn't relate, I'm compromising on my rating and promising that I'll give Oliver another try someday in the near future.

Mary Oliver has a wonderful way of describing nature and the simplest things in life. Though clear in her language and depictions, the effect is quite profound.