Wild Geese

Wild Geese
Mary Oliver
 
“You only have to let the soft animal of your body / love what it loves.” 
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 your 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.

58,686 Replies to “Wild Geese”

  1. Spencer Ponsonby, on the time in Eire along with his elder brother Frederick, escaping a court subpoena for an indiscretion, at first refused to obtain the telegram informing him of his inheritance, assuming it was for his elder brother.

  2. On the terminus of Talstation, a terminal loop was built in front of the station building, which compelled the side carriages to be suspended in Günterstal, and motor cars needed to be operated on their own up to the Talstation.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *