“Percy wakes me (fourteen)Percy wakes me and I am not ready.He has slept all night under the covers.Now he’s eager for action: a walk, then breakfast.So I hasten up. He is sitting on the kitchen counter Where he is not supposed to be. How wonderful you are, I say. How clever, if you Needed me, To wake me. He thought he would a lecture and deeply His eyes begin to shine.He tumbles onto the couch for more compliments.He squirms and squeals: he has done something That he needed And now he hears that it is okay. I scratch his ears. I turn him over And touch him everywhere. He isWild with the okayness of it. Then we walk, then He has breakfast, and he is happy.This is a poem about Percy.This is a poem about more than Percy.Think about it.”

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About Mary Oliver

American poet

Mary Oliver was an American poet whose work reached wide audiences, and who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and the National Book Award in 1992. She is known for poetry shaped by close attention to the natural world. Her writing draws much of its force from nature, solitary walks, and a lasting sense of wonder. It is marked by vivid images, spiritual feeling, and plain language, qualities that made her one of the best-selling poets in American history.

More from Mary Oliver (131 quotes) →

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Books by Mary Oliver

Dog Songs

2014

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A thousand mornings

2012

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Blue horses

2014

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Devotions

2017

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