A favorite poem of mine:
Wild Geese
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.
Mary Oliver
It seems this time of every year I begin to turn to the words of favorite authors and poets to aid me in the transition from fall to winter. Mary Oliver has long been a cherished poet of mine, putting words to feelings about the natural world that I share but haven't the words to express (or if I do, they are not near as poetic and beautiful!) Hoping this poem inspires thought, introspection, and acceptance--and would love to hear your thoughts on her words or your experiences as well!
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