Summary

The first section of the book encompasses the last three poetry collections of Oliver’s life, Felicity (2015), Blue Horses (2014), and Dog Songs (2013). Felicity, the first book selected in this collection, and the last book Oliver completed, begins by justifying the title of the collection. The title Devotions implies a religiousness which Oliver’s reputation as a nature poet might seem to slightly contradict, but the first poem she excerpts from Felicity, “I Wake Close To Morning,” very clearly shows the connection between nature and spirituality in Oliver’s life. “Why do people keep asking to see / God’s identity papers / when the darkness in the morning / is more than enough?” Oliver asks (1-4). The question is rhetorical, and exists to say that asking for proof of God is not needed, because the natural world is all the proof that is...