New and Selected Poems | Objects, Setting & Important Places

New and Selected Poems Objects/Places

Dogs

In several pieces, dogs are represented as creatures whose loyalty is beyond reproach. As with other animals in this volume, dogs are possessed of certain instincts which human beings do not have. Dogs, for Oliver, are completely comfortable with their role as companions, with no need to be the ringleaders among Nature's creations. In addition, dogs are shown to have an innate awareness of their position in the non-human realm in terms of their relationships with other animals. There is nothing "personal" about dogs' interactions with other animals, as they are by nature expected to hunt, to pursue, to flush out smaller creatures.

Love

One of the most important ingredients in a human being's life. Love takes the form of admiration, want, lust, and sometimes remembrance. More than one manifestation of love can be present in a person's experiential landscape at any given time. There is "dog love, water love, little-serpent...
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