Last Tuesday, we watched “Mary Oliver: Saved By the Beauty of the World,” an American Masters program on PBS. For the first time ever, I watched TV with my notebook open in front of me, taking notes. It was touching to see so many pictures of her young, wide open face. And the lineup of celebrities who helped pay tribute! Stephen Colbert, Ada Limón, Oprah, Jason Reynolds…wow.
Looking back on my notes, I realized that the were enough turns (or segments) in Mary Oliver’s life for a haiku sonnet: four 5-7-5 haiku ending with one 5 or 7 syllable couplet. And so a new form is born: the biographical haiku sonnet! My poem goes from childhood, to teen years, to adulthood. Next comes the death of her beloved, Molly Malone Cook, and Mary Oliver gets the last word with a line from her poem, “Wild Geese.”
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The Poetry Sisters’ challenge this month was to write haiku sonnets. As usual, I’m not sure which of the Poetry Sisters are in this month, but here they all are, just in case:
Laura @ Laura Purdie Salas
Liz @ Liz Garton Scanlon
Sara @ Read Write Believe
Tanita @ {fiction, instead of lies}
Tricia @ The Miss Rumphius Effect
Mona has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at Mona Voelkel.
More about Mary Oliver and the PBS special via Letters to Dead Authors & Artists on Substack, Letter #46: To Mary Oliver.
A(nother) Year of Reading 
Mary Lee, what a beautiful poem and tribute to Mary Oliver! That movie inspired me greatly, as does your biographical haiku sonnet. I especially love “people die, but never love.” Thank you for this poem and a new form to ponder!!!
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