Isn’t the month of April lovely? Not only is it the month where we shed off winter completely and start to smell new life in the air, it’s also National Poetry Month. Springtime and poetry go so well together, don’t you think?
One of the very best poets to help us appreciate the splendor of the world outside is Mary Oliver. To celebrate National Poetry Month, here’s one of my favorite poems, from her collection Evidence:
Almost a Conversation by Mary Oliver
I have not really, not yet, talked with otter
about his life.
He has so many teeth, he has trouble
with vowels.
Wherefore our understanding
is all body expression —
he swims like the sleekest fish,
he dives and exhales and lifts a trail of bubbles.
Little by little he trusts my eyes
and my curious body sitting on the shore.
Sometimes he comes close.
I admire his whiskers
and his dark fur which I would rather die than wear.
He has no words, still what he tells about his life
is clear.
He does not own a computer.
He imagines the river will last forever.
He does not envy the dry house I live in.
He does not wonder who or what it is that I worship.
He wonders, morning after morning, that the river
is so cold and fresh and alive, and still
I don’t jump in.
Here’s the 2015 National Poetry Month poster, designed by Roz Chast:
Ways to add more poetry into your life:
- The Writer’s Almanac newsletter or podcast (5 minutes of literary history and a poem of the day).
- The New Yorker’s Poetry podcast
- Poets.org’s poem-a-day newsletter.
- The Poetry Foundation’s Poem of the Day newsletter or their mobile app.
More poetry posts from the Books, the Universe and Everything archive:
- Tin Ear by Peter Schmitt
- Review of Blue Horses by Mary Oliver (including the poem If I Wanted a Boat)
- Review of Bouquet of Red Flags by Taylor Mali (including the poem Magnifies Objects Ten Times)
- Thanks, Robert Frost by David Ray
- Welcome Morning by Anne Sexton
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Who are your favorite poets? How do you discover new poetry?
(I’m currently traveling in South America, but will moderate & reply to all comments as soon as I can!)
I love National Poetry Month and just posted about it, too :)
Just visited your blog and enjoyed your post! Thank you for saying hi here, glad to be connected! :)
I like the poem you posted! I don’t know Mary Oliver, but I’ll check her out. I post a poem on the first Friday of every month. I love searching for poems that are somehow related to the month, either online or in the two volumes of A Poem a Day I own. Two of my favorites are Robert Frost and Rainer Maria Rilke. I’ve newly discovered Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Katherine Mansfield.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy Mary Oliver.
I love that you post poems regularly – I tend to only post them when I review a book of poetry (which isn’t often – I find it so hard to review poetry books!) I should post poetry more often.
I didn’t know that Katherine Mansfield wrote poetry as well – I will have to read some!