Dog Songs: Poems

Why I recommend it

I recommend this affectionate collection for the delight and gravity Mary Oliver finds in sharing a life with dogs. The poems hold play, loyalty, aging, and loss together without making companionship sentimental or small. And if you really know me, you know I love my dogs—and cats—as members of my family, because that’s exactly what they are.

What stayed with me

Dogs call us into the immediate world. Their lives make attention, movement, and uncomplicated presence feel like forms of wisdom.

Who it’s useful for

Dog people, Mary Oliver readers, and anyone looking for poems about love that include both exuberance and grief.

A tension or limitation

Readers seeking the full range of Oliver’s work should begin with a broader collection. This book’s narrow subject is also its particular pleasure.