Morning Poems

By Robert Bly

"Morning Poems is a sensational collection — Robert Bly's best in many years. Inspired by the example of William Stafford, Bly decided to embark on the project of writing a daily poem: Every morning he would stay in bed until he had completed the day's work. These 'little adventures/In Morning longing,' as he calls them, address classic poetic subjects (childhood, the seasons, death and heaven) in a way that capitalizes fully on the pun in the book's title. These are morning poems, full of the delight and mystery of waking in a new day, and they also do their share of mourning, elegizing the deceases and capturing the 'moment of sorror before creation.' Some of the poems are dialogues where unconventional speakers include mice, maple trees, bundles of grain, the body, the 'oldest mind' and the soul. A particularly moving sequence involves Bly's imaginative transactions with a great and unlikely precursor, Wallace Stevens. The whole is a fascinating and original book from one of our most fascinating authors."

 — David Lehman

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 6, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061979835

Robert Bly

Robert Bly's books of poetry include The Night Abraham Called to the Stars and My Sentence Was a Thousand Years of Joy. His awards include the National Book Award for poetry and two Guggenheims. He lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Reviews for Morning Poems

[musicmom41 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bly set a goal for himself to compose a poem every morning before he started his day and this generous selection of poems on a wide variety of topics using several different styles is the result. There are poems on life and death, childhood and aging, love and friendship, nature and everyday activities. Some are poignant or joyful, contemplative or humorous, straight forward or enigmatic. Most of the poems are relatively short and deserve to or three readings to really appreciate. I borrowed this from the library because of an LT recommendation and I plan to buy my own copy because I know I will want to read this again. Highly recommended. Reading in a BoatI was glad to be in that boat, floatingUnder oak leaves that had beenCarved by crafty light.How many times during the nightI laughed, because SheCame near, and stayed, or returned.The boat stopped, and I woke.But the pages kept turning. I jumpedBack in the book, and caught up.I was not in pain, not hungry,Friend, I was alive, sleeping,And all that time reading a book.

[tututhefirst_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A delightful volume by one of America's premier 20th century poets. While it may be short(just a few over 100 pages)and the poems are fairly short, they are meaty and marvelous.The title of the volume announces the theme of morning, freshness, awakening, and the promise we feel at a fresh beginning. I especially liked the first and last poems: "Early Morning in Your Room" and "A Conversation with a Mouse."Several thought-provoking pieces were set in Maine, and many had a farming theme. I think I'll be trying more of his poems in the future.