5 poetry collections to read before bed

Wendell Berry: New Collected Poems

by Wendell Berry

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).

The House of Belonging

by David Whyte

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.

E. E. Cummings: Collected Poems

by E. E. Cummings

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.

Dream Work

by Mary Oliver

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.