"I disappeared into books when I was very young,
disappeared into them like someone
running into the woods."
Rebecca Solnit
Brain Pickings
In her essays, interviews, and poetry, Mary Oliver addresses the childhood need to escape. She speaks of two sacred worlds ... nature and literature ... where she was seeking experience, not self-description. Whether running into the woods or childhood books, Mary Oliver was able to experience beauty and mystery of the world. I have never wanted any person to speak for me, but this poet expresses my relationship with reading and nature perfectly!
Mary Oliver's devotion to books and the woods, helped to develop her passion for writing. Whether she journeyed with books into the outer world or into the solitude of the woods, she found healing and a way to save her own life.
I, too, discovered sacred worlds in reading and nature. These worlds fueled insight into creative expression and my imagination flourished. Finding solitude in nature revealed the candle in my heart which led me into my darkness. The sacredness of words increased my passion for writing and it has been my salvation.
***Special thanks to BRAIN PICKINGS,
Article on Mary Oliver, Staying Alive
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