Some friends and I have a small but intimate group and we call ourselves "The Dead Poets Society." Yeah you guessed it! After the Robin Williams movie.
Our goal is to learn more about poetry and from that learning grow to love it even more than we already do. (A side of me you didn't know eh?).
So we take turns chosing a
DEAD POET'S poem (hence the name) study it, and then share it with the group. We do much of this over the internet. We keep our own notes or if you are like me - you actually buy a very special journal to keep all your notes in! (Type A personality here!).
BUT . . . straying slightly -- a BIG exception was made for Mary Oliver who is still very much alive! I just love her writings! She won the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Time discribes her as "far and away, this country's best-selling poet!" Not to shabby!
Mary was born September 10, 1935, in Maple Heights, Ohio. She studied at Ohio State University and Vassar College in the mid 50's but never received a degree at either college.
Here is one of Ms. Oliver's poems that I just love!
Mysteries, Yes
Truly, we live with mysteries to marvelous to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the mouths of lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever in allegiance with gravity while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds will never be broken.
How people come from delight or the scars of damage, to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always from those who think they have the answers.
"Look!" and laugh in astonishment and bow their heads.
by Mary Oliver.
