[stylist] Mary Oliver

[William L Houts]

Hi Gang,

I've just been listening to some Mary Oliver poems.  You know, sometimes 
--well, occasionally anyway-- I get sort of snarky about the quality of 
other poets's work as compared to mine.  I mean, I'm resspectful, but 
inside I may think, hey, noble effort.  I know, real jerkaholic, right?  
But a friend of mine just read me some Mary Oliver stuff, and all sense 
of ego and competition just drained out of the soles of my feet like 
some noxious black oil. The lady is a prophetess.  In one poem, for 
instance, she refers to "the soft animal of the body".  And the poem 
entitled "Peonies" completely humbles me.  That's basically where I go 
in response to all of her work:  humility. If you hear that she's giving 
a reading nearby, or you have a chance to catch her on the radio, you 
could do yourself a great favor by pointing your Victor Reader Stream at 
her station and tuning in. As black youths used to say a while back, 
it's dope.


--Bill




-- 


"Oh, Sophie! Whyfore have you eated all de cheeldren?"