I knew from the first poem (“Welcome to Facebook”) that these 19 short poems were just my speed--and stage of life. The narrative threads remind me of David Whyte. This collection can be read (and re-read) all in a sitting or one poem at a time, giving you plenty to reflect on while you’re lounging by the pool. Poignant, sweet, and funny.

Whyte is one of my favorites, for his poetry and nonfiction. (Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of identity is currently on my nightstand.) This is worth reading for The Truelove alone, but I also love the title poem and What to Remember When Waking.

I'm pretty sure it's not cool to like E. E. Cummings anymore, but I don't care. When I first got my driver's license and could drive myself to the bookstore all by myself, this was one of the first collections I bought. I've always loved his playful way with words. I carry your heart with me is a favorite.

This wonderful collection contains The Journey, which may deservedly be Oliver's best-known poem. Other favorites here include Coming Home, Wild Geese, and Dogfish.

A poignant collection from a former U.S. poet laureate (Yes, that's really a thing!) Introduction to Poetry, Winter Syntax, and Dharma are favorites.

From the publisher: "A masterful work by a master poet, this brilliant summation of poetry and human nature will speak to all readers who long to place poetry in their lives but don't know how to read it." 'Read a poem to yourself in the middle of the night. Turn on a single lamp and read it while you're alone in an otherwise dark room or while someone sleeps next to you. Say it over to yourself in a place where silence reigns and the din of culture—the constant buzzing noise that surrounds you—has momentarily stopped.' So begins this astonishing book by one of our leading poets and critics. Hirsch writes about what poetry is, why it matters, and how we can open up our imaginations so that its message—which is of vital importance in day-to-day life—can reach us and make a difference. In a marvelous reading of world poetry, including verse by such poets as Wallace Stevens, Elizabeth Bishop, Pablo Neruda, William Wordsworth, Sylvia Plath, Charles Baudelaire, and many more, Hirsch discovers the meaning of their words and ideas and brings their sublime message home into our hearts."

I adore Berry's evocative, deceptively simple style, in prose or poetry. This collection holds so many favorites: a few include To My Mother, Window Poems, Manifesto: The Mad Farmer to the Liberation Front, and The Blue Robe (google that one right now).