Evidence

March 1, 2009
Oliver has been publishing poetry collections since 1963, and her latest is gloriously alive, inquisitive, and welcoming.A prolific and cherished poet, she makes readers feel as though theyve been part of the quest for wisdom and grace she records in her lucid, giving, prayerful poems. Oliver writes of meditative walks and moments of radiant recognition. Gratitude is the mode here, and sustained attention is the vehicle, as acknowledged with her signature clarity in two of many bird poems. In Empty Branch in the Orchard, the poet waits, year after year, for the return of a hummingbird; in Snowy Egret, she writes of one who has come again to the shallows in front of my house / as he has for forty years. There it is: what we long for, and what we hold dear. Within each lifting lyric, Oliver declares all of life holy. She affirms her poetry habit, The comforts / of language / are true / and deep. And she reminds us that, in spite of anguish and loss, to have loved / is everything.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)