The Journey
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 ~
(Dream Work)
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 ~
(Dream Work)
6 comments:
Mmmm, hadn't read this one of hers before. Lovely. Says it all about authenticity.
...little by little, as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn...
thanks, tess. i love the line you pulled away from this! xoxoxoo
my favorite phrase is - determined to save the only life you could save. A little like a reminder of the post I wrote earlier today - we can only save our own....we cannot save others' lives for them.
Beautiful Mary Oliver piece.
xoxo
SS--that line seems to be right out of the AA & related literature as you inferred in your earlier post.
it really is freeing when we give ourselves permission to quit trying to "fix" everyone around us. it's a big enough job working on myself, that's for sure!
xoxooxoxo
ain't the truth!
xoxo
ain't IT the truth! Oh, I'm in too big a hurry sometimes...
xoxoxoxo
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