Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

On Being with Krista Tippett

On Being Studios

Sociology, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality, Krista Tippett, Arts, Culture, On Being, Society, Society & Culture, Science, Social Sciences

4.7 • 10.2K Ratings

🗓️ 30 October 2020

⏱️ 1 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Mary Oliver reads her poem, “Wild Geese.” This poem is included in our “Taking the Long View” playlist on Spotify, which we created to get grounded in reflection that will be with us the day after the U.S. election and far beyond, whoever wins. Find more of Mary’s poems on our website, where we’ve recently launched an entirely new way to Experience Poetry.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Wild Geese, written and read by Mary Oliver.
0:07.0	You do not have to be good.
0:13.2	You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
0:19.6	You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
0:25.4	Tell me about despair at yours and I will tell you mine.
0:30.6	Meanwhile the world goes on.
0:33.4	Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes
0:39.1	over the prairies of the deep trees, the mountains of the rivers.
0:44.3	Meanwhile the wild geese high in the clean blue air are heading home again.
0:51.0	Wherever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination.
0:58.9	Calls to you like the wild geese harsh and exciting over and over announcing your place
1:06.4	in the family of things.

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