Jane Kenyon

"Got out of bed on two strong legs ... might have been otherwise ... took the dog uphill to the birch wood ... did the work I love ... might have been otherwise ... we ate dinner together at a table with silver candlesticks ... might have been otherwise ... slept in a bed ... planned another day just like this day ... one day, I know, it will be otherwise."

The poems sound the depths of depressive illness and grief brought on by illness and the death of loved ones.

Published twenty-five years after her untimely death, The Best Poems of Jane Kenyon presents the essential work of one of America's most cherished poets--celebrated for her tenacity, spirit, and grace. In their inquisitive explorations and direct language, Jane Kenyon's poems disclose a quiet certainty in the natural world and a lifelong dialogue with her faith and her questioning of it. As a crucial aspect of these beloved poems of companionship,...