House of Light

House of Light is the fourth book of poetry by Mary Oliver that I have read, and reading it was an experience of transcendent joy. In this particular book, Oliver poses interesting philosophical questions about the soul, death, the afterlife, and the divine experienced in the present, explores the beauty of the natural world through her observations of deer, bears, snakes, turtles, birds, different types of plants and trees, captures the world in all of its terror, complexity, and beauty, and gives the readers a profound sense of joy, hope, and the gift of being alive in the present. My favorite poem in this book is "The Summer Day." It is amazing how a short work of art such as this poem can convey so much about life and what it means to be human in some lines that can someone can read in less than a minute. Mary Oliver was a voice for many people, understood the mystery, power, and importance of poetry, and was certainly a bard! It was an honor to recently have my poem "Ode to Mary Oliver' published in Poetica # 24 An Inner Circle Writers' Poetry anthology published by Clarendon House Publications.

Oliver’s poetry is a journey of emotion and reaches everyone, even those who feel out of reach.

I love this book, I love Mary Oliver's writing so how could it fail to please. It is full of life, good things and the pleasure of really seeing what is all around us.

n this collection Mary Oliver focuses on nature: flowers, grass, birds, bugs, smells and colors. The reader becomes aware about the beauty of life and the wonders of being alive. Joyce Akesson, author of Love's Thrilling Dimensions

A gift that was much appreciated

I have not read yet. The mention of 'Hydra' attracted me

More than a collection of poems. A symphony, an interrupted music that is floating above the fields. A beauty.

Mary Oliver's poems help me to gain deeper insight and relationship to the natural world and myself as an integral part of it. She speaks of ordinary things in ordinary - in the sense of being readily accessible - language that is inspiring. At the same time there are metaphors that pull me up, cause me to reflect, and take me deeper.

I just love Mary Oliver. I think her poetry is stunningly beautiful and profound. Starting from the natural elements that surround us she weaves a world of beauty, enchantment and love. Philosophical, thoughtful and full of feeling for the world both seen and unseen.

That was in 1984, and I fell in love with her poetry immediately. The book was difficult for me to find in Australia at that time, and I never got around to acquiring it. It's only with her death that I looked for it online and bought it on Kindle. I just read it all through again. Yes, it still enchants, moves and uplifts me.

This is poetry for people who struggle to appreciate its traditional forms (like me), whose brains are concrete-centric. You'll want to take your time and allow each one to sink in. Since for the most part, they're about the natural world, there is no fluff, no buffer from reality. Some are heartbreaking. But there's also hope here, and humor. You may find that some lines echo in your head, as they have in mine. "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" from The Summer Day. And, ". . . maybe death isn't darkness, after all, but so much light wrapping itself around us - . . . " from White Owl Flies Into and Out of the Field. This collection was published almost 35 years ago and I hope that in another 35 years the places that Ms. Oliver wrote about will exist just as they did then. But even if they don't, we have her extraordinary vision to connect us to the natural world.