“Wild Geese”: My Understanding

“Wild Geese” is written by Mary Oliver. It seems like she is having a conversation with us. She uses the words ‘you’ and ‘your’ throughout the poem that make this obvious.

In the beginning of the poem she is telling us that it is fine not to be perfect and that we do not have to think that we are alone. She goes on to say that it is important that we let our heart love what it loves. And while we share our despairs with each other, the world would go on and the sun would shine and the rain would pour. Also the wild geese, up in the clean blue air, would fly back home again. She tells us that whoever we are, no matter how lonely, the world is offering itself to us, to our imagination. The world calls to us like the wild geese, in a harsh and exciting tone; over and over again, announcing our place in this universe.

Mary Oliver through this poem tells us that the world is as big as our imagination. And everything in it belongs to us. We do not have to be perfect to find a place in this universe. She tells us that it is alright to be alone, to be in despair, to not be good. She tells us that we can never be alone because the world will always be our own. She tells us that while we stop to deal with our problems the world still goes on, the sun still shines, the rain still pours and the birds still fly. Most importantly, Mary Oliver tells us to let our heart love whatever it wants to. She also tells us in a way that our imagination can take us places.

When I read the poem for the very first time I did not understand a thing Mary Oliver was trying to convey. The next few times I read it, I made myself hear what she was trying to tell me. That’s when I got it. I felt like I was not alone anymore. That I had some sort of significance in this world, I had some sort of purpose. That may be the world would not be the same without me. The world is just like my imagination, it is mine, it is limitless and it is what I make it to be. Mary Oliver also made me realise that it is alright to listen to my heart, it is fine to let it love. She made me realise how we and nature are similar on so many levels. She touched my heart through this poem. And it is something I will keep with me to remind me that I am important and that I do in fact make a difference.