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A Thousand Mornings (2012) is a short volume of poetry by Mary Oliver. Her poems reflect on daily observations of the natural world, existence, and humanity.

Among my favorites in the volume is her poem "The Gardener."

Oliver writes,

"Have I lived enough?

Have I loved enough?"

She continues,

"Actually, I probably think too much."

She concludes, by observing a gardener tending to the roses, his children.

I also enjoyed "Poem of the One World" where Oliver begins by observing a floating white heron. In "Lines Written in the Days of Growing Darkness," she reflects on the year's end. In "Green, Green is My Sister's House," Oliver writes of the wildness of spring.

In "The Moth, the Mountains, the Rivers," Oliver suggests that the reader spend worthwhile time with strange questions about nature so "that your spirit grown in curiosity, that your life be richer than it is."

Oliver has a beautiful way of reminding us to slow down, to observe our surroundings, and to find meaning in our everyday observations.

Read another review of interest:

Check out my review of Mary Oliver's Felicity.

An interview with Mary Oliver:

Listen to a 2012 interview with Mary Oliver about A Thousand Mornings at NPR. Oliver reads from her book. She also speaks about writing in the morning to set up her day and about her love of words and the mechanics of poetry.

Purchase and read books by Mary Oliver: