Poem: 'Wild Geese' by Mary Oliver

[Windmill knight]

An acquaintance shared this poem with me recently:

Wild Geese
by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

I don't think we want to just 'let the body love what it loves' if that means being complacent about our condition. However, I still found it beautiful, especially the last paragraph, because it speaks of the unconditional love of the Universe to everything and everyone, no matter who we are. We all have a place in the family of things and are invited to take part in the Cosmic Play!

 

[Harold]

its very nice, to me it speaks of the nature of things, no morality, it is what it is. :)
I always stop to watch the geese, and I have though something like 'how harsh and exciting' :D

 

[nwigal]

Years ago, I lived in a place in Nebraska, USA which was in the migratory flyway for Canadian Snowgeese. Some of the flocks were so large, they took three days and nights to pass. Watching the flocks crossing at night, covering the moon, and listening to their cries was one of the most haunting and beautiful experiences I've ever had.

 

[dant]

Beautiful Poem!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Harold]

Years ago, I lived in a place in Nebraska, USA which was in the migratory flyway for Canadian Snowgeese. Some of the flocks were so large, they took three days and nights to pass. Watching the flocks crossing at night, covering the moon, and listening to their cries was one of the most haunting and beautiful experiences I've ever had.

That is really cool.