Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver (1935-2019) was an American poet who won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Her work is inspired by nature, and her lifelong passion for solitary walks in the wild. 

Beans Green and Yellow

In fall

it is mushrooms

gathered in dampness

under the pines;

in spring

I have known the taste of the lamb

full of milk

and spring grass;

today

it is beans green and yellow

and lettuce and basil

from my friend’s garden –

how calmly,

as though it were an ordinary thing,

we eat the blessed earth

— Mary Oliver