I go down to the shore in the morning
and depending on the hour the waves
are rolling in or moving out,
and I say, oh, I am miserable,
what shall-
what should I do? And the sea says
in its lovely voice:
Excuse me, I have work to do.

Whether studying the leaves of a tree or mourning her treasured dog Percy, Mary Oliver is beautifully open to the teachings contained within the smallest of moments. In A Thousand Mornings she explores, with startling clarity, humour and kindness, the mysteries of our daily experience.

'Oliver's poems are thoroughly convincing - as genuine, moving and implausible as the first caressing breeze of spring' New York Times Book Review

'Mary Oliver teachers us the profound act of paying attention - a living wonder that makes it possible to appreciate the others' Boston Globe