I am one of those who has no trouble imagining the sentient lives of trees, of their leaves in some fashion communicating or of the massy trunks and heavy branches knowing it is I who have come, as I always come, each morning, to walk beneath them, glad to be alive and glad to be there.
— Mary Oliver in Winter Hours
On a whim last week, I wanted to read some poetry. When I did a search of our online library, a few of Mary Oliver’s books popped up on the list. I like a lot of quotes I’ve read by her, I thought, so I checked out her book of essays and poetry, Winter Hours.
Oh my. Have I found a kindred spirit in Mary Oliver! Every other paragraph there is something I want to write down. She expresses in words what I feel about so many things, like the quote above. Did she reach into my head to extract that? No, no, of course not. It’s that she finds her inspiration in morning walks in the woods with her dog, creating beautiful and simple poetry and prose out of her experiences. She has followed her ritual long, long before I discovered a similar one for myself.
But the similarities mean that her words resonate deeply with me. She is someone I can learn from and look to for inspiration. Someone whose art speaks to mine. For aren’t poetry and photography similar? They are both made of fragments, a partial view of the whole, conveying an experience which must be expressed; can’t be suppressed.
Her creative philosophy resonates with me too. In an interview with her on NPR from a couple of years ago, she said, “I always feel that whatever isn’t necessary shouldn’t be in a poem.” And I thought, That’s exactly how I feel about photographs! In my imagery, I want to distill the greater world down to the essentials, keeping only what is necessary to convey something. Simpler is often better, I have found, for conveying emotion.
So I have a creative crush on Mary Oliver right now. I’m going to be reading her words for a while.
What a wonderful bit of luck — or is it grace? — to come across her work.
You can have the other words — chance, luck, coincidence, serendipity. I’ll take grace. I don’t know what it is, exactly, but I’ll take it.
— Mary Oliver in Sand Dabs, Five
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought the same…”Every other paragraph there is something I want to write down. She expresses in words what I feel about so many things, like the quote above. Did she reach into my head to extract that?” I have that with a few authors…and now I’m off to learn more about Mary. Thank you.
I love that! What authors do you get that feeling from? I’d love to hear – I would probably like them too!
I’m a big fan of Mary Olivier too! Her poetry resonates with me, and I’ve learned from her too. I love this image that you’re sharing today.
Thanks Gina! Do you have any recommendations of her books I shouldn’t miss?
I have a couple of her poetry books, and this one needs to be included. Love your photo…pretty, soft, and light filled.
I would love to hear which of her books you like! I just finished Winter Hours this morning and would like to start another.
Kat, I have Blue Iris Poems and Essays, and Swan poems and prose poems. I found them a few years ago on vacation and thought they would be helpful for photo quotes, but I haven’t used them often. Now I see so many photographers are drawn to her.
Thanks for the titles, Beverly! I’ll have to check them out. I think it’s her simple, straightforward words that draw me. Like a single line within the frame…
What a wonderful crush to have. I love her quotes so far too. My love for trees is boundless. Walking in and around, underneath and sometimes on, I can’t help but feel as one with them.
ps I love to hug them too.
Sometimes you just have to hug them, don’t you? It’s always nice to connect with a fellow kindred spirit of the trees!
Hi Kat
You might want to take a look at:
http://douglasbeasley.com/
Not a poet of words, but some amazing photography. He also has a philosophy you might respond to as well.
Here is a quote he had in his book – “Earth Meets Spirit”
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly,
what is essential is invisible to the eye.
-Antoine St Exupery, from The Little Prince
Thanks Kurt! I will definitely take a look at his work.