Dream Work Paperback – January 7, 1994

Dream Work by Mary Oliver is an accomplished collection that delves deep into the human spirit through the lens of nature. Each poem, like "Wild Geese," captures a mix of tranquility and introspection, exploring themes of personal growth, acceptance, and the fleeting nature of life. Oliver's vivid imagery and profound wisdom make this book a timeless treasure for anyone seeking solace and enlightenment in poetry.

Many come to Dream Work for the first time carried on the wings of the poem “Wild Geese” whose most famous lines read something like a benediction: “You do not have to be good. / You do not have to walk on your knees / for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. / You only have to let the soft animal of your body / love what it loves.” And if this is a reader’s first exposure to Oliver, they will be met with some her of most representative pieces. Many of the forty-five poems, like “Morning Poem” use nature—beautifully and physically rediscovered through Oliver’s imagery—to describe hope and self-compassion (“And if your spirit / carries within it / the thorn / that is heavier than lead-- / if it’s all you can do / to keep on trudging- / there is still / somewhere deep within you / a beast shouting that the earth / is exactly what it wanted—“).Other poems explore darker themes, and use nature to cope with the transience of life (and the struggle to figure out what to do with it in the meantime). In the beginning of Part II, “One or Two Things” captures a life’s worth of anxiety about the passage of time, opening with “Don’t bother me. / I’ve just / been born.” and ending with the tranquil and perhaps a bit eerie stanza: “For years and years I struggled / just to love my life. And then / the butterfly / rose weightless, in the wind. / “Don’t love your life / too much,” it said, / and vanished / into the world.”The central tension of the collection might best be captured in the first poem of the book. “Dogfish” introduces the speaker’s main struggle stating, “I wanted / the past to go away, I wanted / to leave it, like another country; I wanted / my life to close, and open / like a hinge, like a wing….I wanted / to hurry into the work of my life; I wanted to know, / whoever I was, I was / alive for a little while.” What carries through all of the pieces in Dream Works is an answering vision of self-exploration and meaning making through interaction with nature profoundly but simply rendered.

I really enjoy Mary Oliver's poetry! Dream Work is thought provoking; love her Swan collection better.

Mary Oliver's dream work is an amazing poetry for all ages and types of people. reading some of this book leaves you with the feeling church is supposed to feel but doesn't anymore. you feel uplifted, confident, and not alone from reading her poems. it a book of peace you can fit in your pocket.

This collection is absolutely amazing. Worth it just for "Wild Geese." And it looks like an actual printed book, not some cheap facsimile.

Introduce yourself to this great poet. Lots of poetry about nature.

I think I have found myself a new favourite poet! I really love Mary Oliver's style, subject matter, depth and wisdom.

mary oliver is one of my favorite poets — this was a great read