Myra here.
I am glad to be joining the warm and vibrant Poetry Friday community once again. Thank you to Buffy Silverman of Buffy’s Blog for hosting this week.
Thirst (Amazon | Book Depository)
Poems by Mary Oliver
Published by Beacon Press (2006)
ISBN: 0807068969 (ISBN13: 9780807068960) Borrowed from NLB Singapore Overdrive. Book photo and layout via an iPhone app.
I read this book early this year – if I were to base it on my Goodreads shelves, it was around February that I read it, alongside all the other Mary Oliver e-books I can get my hands on via NLB’s Overdrive.
As the title says, most of the poems in this collection are filled with longing and yearning. Yet, it is not just about romantic love. More than anything, there is a thirst for meaning or for God’s presence that is profound. Reading this book made me feel blessed with the gift of being able to witness such a level of intimacy with Mary Oliver’s quiet faith and rapt attention to the world around her.
Among all the poems in this collection, this was the one that stood out for me – and which I also feel, may be in keeping with the Christmas season, as we long for those whose presence is not felt anymore in our lives. Hope you like it, poetry-loving friends! Merry Christmas!
#WomenReadWomen2019: United States of America
Gathering Books 
I love Mary Oliver, but have not read this collection yet. Putting it on my list! “Waking up simply to praise everything in the world that is strong and beautiful”–swoon!
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Oh the elegant intensity of this poem! No one quite like Mary Oliver. Happiest of holidays, dear Myra!
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Mary Oliver’s poetry is a true treasure… thank you so much for sharing this one. Have a wonder-full, beauty-full and peace-full holiday!
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I love that twist at the end. We try so hard to convince ourselves that we are doing just fine, but…
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I am growing as strong as a rock — wow. Thank you for this beautiful poem.
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Like Mary Lee, I also love the twist at the end. Thanks for sharing Mary Oliver, as we learn to live without her.
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