One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice ‑
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do ‑
determined to save
the only life you could save.
~ Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver’s poetry, with her lyrical connection to the natural world, has firmly established her in the highest realm of American poets. She is renowned for her evocative and precise imagery, which brings nature into clear focus, transforming the everyday world into a place of magic and discovery. Her recent books include Owls and Other Fantasies, Why I Wake Early, and New and Selected Poems, Volume Two. As poet Stanley Kunitz has said, “Mary Oliver’s poetry is fine and deep; it reads like a blessing.” Oliver lives in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Amazon’s Mary Oliver Page
http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Oliver/e/B000APELGO/ref=sr_tc_2_0
Similar Posts:
- None Found
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
That was beautiful! I’m off to check out her Amazon.com page now!
Hi Jill…This poem has always touched my heart. Mary Oliver is an inspiring woman and it sounds like she has lifted your spirits also.
Hi Dr. Annette,
Yes she definitely has! I’ve bookmarked each of her books to use the “search inside!” feature on later
P.S. I love your blog and look forward to reading each post.
Hi Jill,
We’re so glad to have you and your thoughts with us on this Divine Self! blog. Thank you.
Have you ever read The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer? It’s beautiful also…
THE INVITATION
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for,
And if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
For your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow,
If you have been opened by life’s betrayals or
Have become shriveled and closed from fear or further pain!
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own;
If you can dance with wildness and let ecstasy fill you
To the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be
Careful, Be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you’re telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself,
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own Soul.
I want to know if you can see beauty
Even when it is not pretty every day,
And if you can source your life from god’s presence
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine,
And still stand on the edge of a lake
And shout to the silver of the full moon, yes!
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live
Or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and Despair,
Weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the Children.
It doesn’t interest me who you are, how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me
And not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside
When all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself,
And if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Indian Elder
Hi Dr. Annette,
You are very welcome. I enjoy being here and sharing my thoughts. I love reading others’ responses to the blog posting as well. Thank you for posting “The Invitation” as well. I had never heard of it or the elder who wrote it, it felt like they were talking directly to me.
All the best,
Jill
Exquisite imagery! Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your beauty once again!
I just want to thank Mary Oliver and the universe for this poem. It seems it is the only thing bringing me back to myself, to what I need, finally. Just need to hold on to that, let the other voices wail and the wind howl. Today is the beginning of my journey. With each passing day may I learn to trust my own inner voice, my own needs, more and more.
Hi Anna,
I could absolutely hug and kiss Mary Oliver for her inspiring poem. Her words and energy helped me through a difficult period in my life when I, too, was learning to let go of the needs of others and focus on the inner needs of myself. And in doing so, it has made all the difference in the world.
Another quote that helped me tremendously was spoken by Gandhi…”Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it.”
Thank you for sharing your journey and we wish you ease, peace and love.
Hi Anna,
I, too, am going through a difficult time and go back to Mary Oliver’s poem quite often.
It is very profound. I must save myself.
Kathleen
From someone who has been lost for the past 18 months, blind but now I see, thank you for these inspiring words from the bottom of my heart.
Hi Amanda,
I don’t need to know your situation, just that Mary Oliver’s
poem has moved you to make your comment. This speaks volumes in my mind.
Hugs,
Kathleen
I need help. I thought I finally knew what I had to do and strode right out even though the voices all around me were crying.
I strode right into more of the same. Learned a bit got burned a bit more. Didnt learn enough though it seems. The tug is at me again – is it a tug or is it an anchor? I dont know.
I’ve mended and ended my life twice before and broken it again. Inevitably there are/ were/ will be casualties. Dare I do it again? Or do I stay and endure to the end?
Hello Cathy,
Life is certainly one wild ride, especially when we have to trust ourselves to know which path to take. There’s never any knowing in advance if this is the right step, how will it turn out, should I take this step at all.
As I read your post, I get the overwhelming sense that you already know what you will do. The answer is in your heart. You can feel it, however your brain questions the logic of your decision.
As I am now over 50 years old, I can look back upon my life and see that there is no wrong path. Each step I took eventually brought me to the place I am now, the place I was born to be at. In the past I might have detoured somewhat, or tried some things that in hindsight were questionable, but here I still am…happy and moving forward hand-in-hand with my spirit.
Walking forward with the truth of our inner spirit is never the most popular path, and it is certainly not one most people would agree with. But in the end what matters most is that you love yourself through all your choices.
My heart is with you and we are all happy that you have shared yourself with us on this Divine Self blog.