Wild Geese

Because “Wild Geese” was written later in her career when readers had a better sense for Mary Oliver’s person and writing, we can assume that the speaker of the poem is someone very close to Oliver, if not the poet herself. The style of the poem is also reflective of her later writing; it is true to the natural world in which she always wrote, but it demonstrates the insertion of morality and philosophical leanings that Oliver began to explore in her later work. This is very clearly and specifically done through inserting humanity, whereas in Oliver’s earlier poems, humans were notably absent. Also true to Oliver’s body of work is direct and colloquial diction, which is clearly present in “Wild Geese.”

The poem opens with two instances of anaphora: “You do not have to” (Lines 1, 2). The repetition of this phrase increases the sense of intimacy between the poet and the reader, but it also creates a sense of authority. It calls the reader in to listen to the poet. In beginning with negation, with what one does not have to do, Oliver allows the poem to move towards a space of positivity. The simple phrase “You do not have to be good” (Line 1) is followed by a vivid image of someone walking on their knees through the desert. It is important to note that Oliver begins with the desert, which is a location associated with barrenness and dryness, a place where life does not thrive.

Oliver then writes, “You only have to let the soft animal of your body / love what it loves” (Lines 4-5). Moving into the space of positive commands, the reader is instructed to follow instincts; the use of “animal” (Line 4) reminds us that it is natural to love, and it is natural to give in to one’s desires. The word “only” in Line 4 reaffirms the simplicity of this command. The poet, continuing to instruct the speaker, next says, “Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine” (Line 6). The separation of “yours” via two commas allows the specificity of Oliver’s addressee’s own despair, giving it space and emphasis. The poet offers reciprocity; an idea crucial to the nature of the world. One can handle despair easier at times when it’s shared.

Amidst these small scales of personal despairs and pains, “[…] the world goes on” (Line 7). The poet zooms out to demonstrate that our despair does not inhibit the world’s motions and ongoings. It can be comforting to think of one’s pain as being small and insignificant. The poet continues through the next four lines listing images of nature that demonstrate this sense of ongoingness. The images are now lush and vibrant, a far cry from the dry desert in which the poem began.

Finally, in Line 12, the eponymous wild geese arrive. The wild geese are returning home; the world is not just ongoing—there is a distinct cycle, a “method to the madness,” as the saying goes. The wild geese demonstrate the natural sense of time’s passage. Their silhouettes are outlined against “the lean blue air” (Line 12), making the image of them in the sky clear and piercing. They are “heading home again” (Line 13), the word “again” revealing that this action is repetitive.

The poet then returns to the addressee. The phrase that begins Line 14, “Whoever you are,” is slightly disorienting. It demonstrates that Oliver has not been speaking to a specific person, but rather that she has been speaking to a general “you” to whom she does not directly know. Thus, the messages within the poem are for any reader, thus underscoring the universality in Oliver’s message. The poet further clarifies this idea by stating “no matter how lonely” (Line 14), so that even if one is so isolated that they are not able to imagine themselves in the initial “whoever you are” that begins Line 14, Oliver brings them back in with this second insistence. Loneliness, therefore, does not inhibit one from having a place in the universe.

The idea of reciprocity returns near the poem’s end: “the world offers itself to your imagination” (Line 15). Oliver personifies the world, portraying it as an entity that can give. It exists within your mind and thus within you; one is inherently connected to the world just by being. The world “calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting—” (Line 16). Here, the “you” to which the poem has mentioned throughout conflates with the wild geese, further demonstrating an insistence on the interconnectedness. Because of the earlier mention of the geese, we can infer that the earth calls to us to return home, just as the wild geese do. This call from the universe occurs “over and over announcing your place / in the family of things” (Lines 17-18). In the final lines, the poet once again insists that you belong. Through the words “place” and “family,” we understand that we are all meant to be here in the world together. The final vague word, “things,” helps decentralize specificity and demonstrate universality.