Red Bird Book

I read this a month or two ago in preparation for a reading last night -- I didn't quite know what to expect as I am somewhat new to Mary Oliver. Anyway, it was a beautiful night and an incredible reading. She was a bit older than I imagined and a bit more frail, but that is truly beside the point.

My original interpretation of the poems in Red Bird, perhaps due entirely to the way I read them, had a slight sensuality to them. Hearing Mary read aloud some of these poems (and from other collections) allowed me to hear them differently -- an overwhelming sense of love in Mary, grounded and a bit playful at times, but a simple and profound tenderness about the world she lives in. So beautiful.