In "Whispered Poem," Mary Oliver, winner of both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, writes:
"I have been risky in my endeavors,
I have been steadfast in my loves;
Oh Lord, consider these when you judge me."
Oliver's risky endeavors in her twentieth collection of poems take her into the far country where she identifies with stones ("In Your Hands"), pays homage to trees ("Trees") that she has climbed but now must only walk under, and still she is always on the lookout for "the next exquisite moment" ("Trying to Be Thoughtful in the First Brights of Dawn"). Oliver is also correct about her being steadfast in her loves. Check out the poems which are conversations with and about her dog Percy — ardent testimonies to her feelings for him. And more peons to birds ("Bird in the Pepper Tree") and flowers ("How Perfectly").
Oliver is not afraid to retread familiar ground, for there are always new wonders to see and to savor — for instance, in her curiosity about foxes or her delight in "the little blades of corn" who rejoice in a slow rain ("Today"). Perhaps our favorite poem in this collection is "What Can I Say" (see the excerpt). Here Oliver admits that in the presence of nature's awesome beauty she is still a child whoe encounters leaves that sing their own special song, Just like the 74-year-old poet!
