mary oliver overview statements

morning poem

‘Morning Poem’ is a free verse lyric poem which depicts the cyclical morning sunrise as it unravels and examines the life and opportunities it brings back into the world.

wild geese

‘Wild Geese’ is a free verse poem which reflects upon the universal experience of hardship, depicting it as inevitable, but not insurmountable.

august

‘August’ is a free verse poem which foregrounds a persona taking on bear-like characteristics, reaching for blackberries, exploring the human experience of finding sensory pleasure by immersion in nature.

dogfish

‘Dogfish’ is a meditative free verse poem that uses human and non-human perspectives to move through the past weight of personal history and find the capacity to love.

the turtle

‘The Turtle’ is a free verse poem, following a speaker observing a female turtle laying her eggs on the beach as an act of obligation rather than volition.

a meeting

‘A Meeting’ is a poem that follows the speaker’s observations of the intimate birth of a young doe, illuminating the uninhibited beauty of the natural world as well as youth.

the fish

‘The Fish’ is a single stanza poem, portraying a speaker catching and consuming a fish, merging their identities and transcending human suffering.

a visitor

‘A Visitor’ charts the imagined return of the speaker’s estranged father many years after his passing.

robert schumann

‘Robert Schumann’ tenderly reflects on the life of the musician and composer himself, meditating on the harsh, slow path of his mental illness.

university hospital, boston

‘University Hospital, Boston’ is a free verse poem, following the speaker’s optimism surrounding their sick loved one, contrasting the clinical mechanics of healing with the vulnerability of love.

tecumseh

‘Tecumseh’ is steeped in a place and history, offering a profound message about the importance of remembering America’s past.

1945-1985: a poem for the anniversary

‘1945-1985: A Poem for the Anniversary’ follows the intermixing of an encounter between the speaker, their dog and a fawn in the woods as a remembrance of the Holocaust.

the journey

‘The Journey’ is a single stanza free verse poem, exploring the complex feeling of being trapped by obligation and manipulation, but ultimately restoring self-love.