Ostriker considered Oliver “among the few American poets who can describe and transmit ecstasy, while retaining a practical awareness of the world as one of predators and prey. Though easily her best known quote is ‘ Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life? By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.

We use Google Analytics to see what pages are most visited, and where in the world visitors are visiting from. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, much of Oliver’s work was influenced by the environment of her adopted home of Massachusetts and the landscape of Cape Cod.Through the darkest happenings of today’s world, Mary Oliver’s poetry continues to shine brightly and reminds us what it means to be present, appreciative, and most importantly, ourselves. While I might not have fallen in love with her style, I can easily see why it speaks so deeply to others.

There is a pleasing, relaxed contrast to the busyness of the sea pulling away, the gulls walking, seaweeds spilling over themselves.His poem treats an encounter with a work of art that is also, somehow, an encounter with a god—a headless figure that nonetheless seems to see him and challenge him.