I came across the Pulitzer prize winning poet Mary Oliver, strangely enough, because Debra Winger had written Oliver’s poem The Journey on her hand before her interview on the TV program "Inside the Actor's Studio.”

I had not heard of Oliver until that day, but that introduction made me curious. So I read a few of Oliver’s poems online, liked them, and then bought a collection (New and Selected Poems, Volume One). There I found quite a number to appreciate. I like her works that that go beyond nature to a subtle point about humanity.

I recommend, for instance:

When Death Comes (“I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.”)

The Journey (“One day you finally knew what you had to do”)

Wild Geese ("You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves”)

The Summer Day (“Tell me, what is it you plan to do/With your one wild and precious life?”)

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