If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.
~ Emily Dickinson
Hey, Lovelies.
A dear friend of mine sent me a text yesterday, to let me know they were thinking of me, and that this poem came to mind.
It was a poem I already knew and loved, but in that moment it became something so personal. A message I was finally ready to hear.
Perhaps this poem has some kind of message for you too.
I’ll share it below.
Love, hugs, quiet thinking and slow writing, Nicole xx
The Journey
by Mary Oliver
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.
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.
Profound thoughts 🐣💫💕
Thank you Nicole. As I read your post I knew I too needed to rest…It has been a very challenging time! I read the Mary Oliver poem aloud, a voice wracked with weariness and knowing of the place came, as a surprise…and no surprise!
I intend, for me, to follow your lead. The 2nd thought ( from a dear friend ) also held me, my attention and my being.
Blessings and love to you
Marguerite
Go gently my friend – this is a major transition in which you are letting go of a lot of responsibility that was not yours and you have carried for a very long time, you have carried this responsibility as a cloak of who you thought you were, be caring to yourself as you step into a new way of being!!! – love ya!! Paul
Wow, that is a beautiful and timely poem. I have no words really, just love and admiration for your honesty. 💜
Such alovely gift