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)
Comments
26 responses to “You Knew What You Had to Do”
Great poem – I needed it today.
Thanks for sharing it.
.-= Janet Oberholtzer?s last blog ..Winning Wednesday – Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner =-.
THAT is fabulous. And very applicable to a person on a very long bike ride. :) I’m counting down the days until I can bust out my bicycle again.
.-= Lex?s last blog ..The mystery of the destroyed tomato sprouts =-.
Awsome.
.-= Lauren?s last blog ..Untitled No.3 =-.
beautiful……thanks for sharing.
.-= Jan Owen?s last blog ..I Need Your Prayers as I Head to Rwanda! =-.
iLike
.-= patricia?s last blog ..3.10.10 – sweet =-.
mmmmm…. “little by little”
sometimes i find it hard to remember that baby steps are progress. thanks for the reminder that they are.
.-= alece?s last blog ..i still can?t believe you even show up =-.
I like this.
.-= Prudence?s last blog ..?Love? Words =-.
Wow! Very powerful poem!
.-= Kevin M.?s last blog ..Confessions of a 5 year old =-.
OOOOOO- So nice. Thanks for the post… “the only life you can save”… ummmm GLORY>
.-= Natalie?s last blog ..?charismatic? cloud lifted. =-.
Well said!
I think this poem sums up my life right now. One of my favorites by Mary Oliver. I’ve recently fallen in love with her work as well. :) “The Swan” is another great one.
wonderful. now off to learn more about Mary Oliver.
.-= Bill Todd?s last blog ..The Energizing Cycle for Men =-.
good, good stuff….
.-= Josh?s last blog ..Question? =-.
awesome.
.-= jackalopekid?s last blog ..you =-.
I feel this keenly right now and grateful for someone who can express it better than I would ever be able to.
.-= AprilK?s last blog ..Best links from the past week =-.
This is really beautiful and some thing I think most of us can relate to on some level or other.
.-= Kristine McGuire?s last blog ..Christian Mysticism =-.
Thank you for sharing a little piece of your heart.
Just what I needed.
:B
.-= Bianca Juarez?s last blog ..Friday Video Post: illegal immigration… =-.
Says a lot, Anne. Thx! I like it!
.-= Carol?s last blog ..Strength, Honor & Praise!!! =-.
Last night I was overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility settled firmly on my shoulders. Responsibility placed there by other people, whether at work or from my family. I spend so much time dealing with their issues that I don’t use the talents and abilities God gave me. So yes, I am purposing to listen a little less to those other voices and more to mine. (I do realize that it can’t be ALL about me, but it has to be a little more about me.)
Thanks. I needed this reinforcement.
.-= redheadkate?s last blog ..In Love =-.
Thank God for the freedom that begins to come when the old tapes stop playing and we finally begin to believe what Jesus says about who we really are.
Linda
I absolutely love this.
.-= mandythompson?s last blog ..I have words. =-.
So the first time I ever heard any of Mary Oliver’s poetry was on a cross country bike trip…but really I was just wondering how your first outdoor ride went?!
The first few times clipping in and out were hard and I fell and messed up some stuff pretty badly. Two massages and tweaks later I think I am realigned, although my knee is still the size of a grapefruit. :) After my falls it was lovely. I am getting some different pedals (I had road/Looks) installed today (crank bro candy w/SPDs) and can’t wait to give them a whirl this week. Thanks for asking!!! :)
This is a keeper. Especially for all of us recovering codependents.
So, here is a fun story for me related to this poem and post.
Last May, I was seriously considering taking a technology sabbatical … no blogging, no Facebook, very limited email. I was feeling the pull to study the subjects of nonviolence and peacemaking more in depth, and I felt the need to do it in the quiet, in some solitude, without the clamor of voices and endless distractions around me: just me, God, some books, and a journal.
I went away for the weekend for a friend’s wedding, and while I was there I happened upon two blog posts. One was a post with this Mary Oliver poem, telling me that “one day, I already knew what I had to do.” Another was a post you wrote with a fantastically beautiful and totally moving quote by Henri Nouwen. (The post, now that I found it, is actually the one you wrote about leaving Facebook and is found here: https://annemariemiller.com/2009/05/24/saying-goodbye-to-facebook/)
At the end of that weekend, I read both of those quotes to my husband on our drive back to the airport. I told him: I think it’s time for me to take the leap.
So I did. I shut down the blog, deleted my Facebook account, and entered into the silence as much as I could.
Almost a year later, and I’ve officially started a blog dedicated to the journey toward nonviolence, and in a moment of needing some ongoing encouragement to lean into the journey, I find this Mary Oliver poem posted again here. Thanks for the encouragement. This poem never fails to inspire and spur me on.
PS: Sorry for the long comment! :)
.-= Christianne´s last blog ..We Are About: Examining the Violence in Our Hearts and Lives =-.
I love that this poem is making the blog rounds. Maybe Kristin got it from you!
.-= Susan´s last blog ..A stolen poem by Mary Oliver =-.