Mary Oliver Poems About Autumn: Embracing the Season of Change

Autumn, with its vibrant colors and crisp air, has long been a favorite season for poets. Among them, Mary Oliver stands out for her evocative and introspective poems that capture the essence of this transitional time of year. Known for her deep connection to nature and keen observation of the world around her, Oliver's poems about autumn are filled with vivid imagery and a sense of reverence for the changing landscape.

Exploring Mary Oliver's Poems on Autumn

Mary Oliver's poetry is often characterized by its simplicity and directness, yet beneath the surface lies a profound wisdom and insight into the natural world. In her poems about autumn, Oliver reflects on the themes of impermanence, transformation, and the cyclical nature of all things. Her language is spare yet rich in meaning, inviting readers to slow down and savor the beauty of the changing seasons.

One of Oliver's most famous poems on autumn is "The Summer Day," in which she muses on the fleeting nature of life and the importance of paying attention to the world around us. Another poem, "When Death Comes," explores the idea of mortality and the ways in which we can find meaning in the face of inevitable change. Both of these poems offer a glimpse into Oliver's profound sense of wonder and gratitude for the natural world.

"The Summer Day"

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean—
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

"When Death Comes"

When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse
to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes
like the measles-pox;
when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,
I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?
And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,
and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,
and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,
tending, as all music does, toward silence,
and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.
When it's over, I want to say all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it's over, I don't want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.
I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.

Mary Oliver's poems about autumn invite readers to slow down, appreciate the beauty of the changing seasons, and contemplate the deeper mysteries of life and death. Through her keen observations and lyrical language, Oliver captures the essence of autumn in all its fleeting beauty and poignant reminders of the passage of time. Her poems serve as a gentle reminder to savor each moment with gratitude and awe, embracing the season of change with open hearts and minds.