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.

87,597 Replies to “Wild Geese”

  1. Hi there! I know this is sort of off-topic but I had to ask. Does running a well-established blog such as yours take a lot of work? I am brand new to blogging however I do write in my diary on a daily basis. I’d like to start a blog so I can easily share my personal experience and views online. Please let me know if you have any kind of recommendations or tips for brand new aspiring bloggers. Appreciate it!

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