The Kingdom of Ordinary Time

Marie Howe's collection of poems explores intersections between the sacred and mundane in contemporary life. The poems move between biblical narratives and everyday moments in modern America. A mother and child appear as recurring figures throughout the work, alongside references to Mary and Jesus. The verses connect domestic scenes with larger questions about time, mortality, and human bonds. The collection examines how transcendent experiences emerge within routine activities and ordinary interactions. Through accessible language and direct observations, Howe reveals the ways ancient spiritual themes continue to resonate in the current moment.

Readers describe the poetry collection as intimate and accessible, with everyday observations woven together with religious and mythological themes. Readers appreciate how Howe connects mundane moments to deeper spiritual questions. Many note the emotional impact of poems about motherhood and family life. Reviews highlight her straightforward language and ability to find meaning in ordinary experiences. "She makes the everyday sacred without being precious about it," wrote one Goodreads reviewer. Some readers found the religious references too heavy-handed or felt the collection was uneven in quality. A few reviews mentioned that certain poems felt disconnected from the collection's themes. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (1,100+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (40+ ratings) The book won the 2008 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. Poetry Foundation included it in their "Reading List: Books of the Year" for 2008.

Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong The poems explore loss, grief, and the relationship between mother and child through precise imagery and cultural memory.

What the Living Do by Marie Howe These poems chronicle the death of a brother and the everyday moments that connect life and mortality.

Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay The collection weaves nature, death, and joy through observations of gardens, fruit trees, and human connections.

The Wild Iris by Louise Glück The poems move through a garden's seasonal cycles while examining existence, divinity, and human consciousness.

Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky The poems unfold as a narrative about a town's collective response to violence and loss while exploring silence as both protest and survival.

🌟 Marie Howe wrote this collection while raising her young daughter alone, and many poems explore the intersection of ordinary parenthood with spiritual contemplation 📚 The book's title references both Catholic liturgy's "Ordinary Time" and the everyday moments that make up most of our lives 💫 Howe served as the Poet Laureate of New York State from 2012 to 2014, during which she advocated for poetry in public spaces 🎭 Several poems in the collection reimagine biblical figures like Mary and Jesus in modern, domestic settings - Mary shops at Rite Aid, and Jesus appears on a subway platform 📖 The collection was published in 2008 by W.W. Norton & Company, the same year Howe received a Guggenheim Fellowship in Poetry