Mary Oliver (1935–2019) was an acclaimed American poet known for her evocative, nature-focused works She consistently explores themes of love, loss, spirituality, and the connection between humans and nature.. Her poetry is renowned for its clarity and emotional depth.

The Journey is one of the best examples of her work.

Mary Oliver writes poetry so simply, so fluidly, it is easy and quick to to get to the heart of her words. But it stays with you and it impacts you – it is always truly profound.

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.’

The Journey is about listening to yourself, doing what you need to do, want to do, despite the demands of life and the pull of responsivity toward others – the trappings that normally cage a woman.

But Oliver always speaks of courage in her poetry and of embracing the natural world and, at the same times one’s natural self, not simply succumbing, drowning in societies conventions.

The Journey sees a woman (you, she is talking directly to you) emerge from domestic entrapment into the natural world and in parallel into her natural unencumbered self.

At last this woman hears clearly and what she hears is her own self , her own needs and she finally begins her own journey. ‘the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds,’ and illuminate the path to saving her own life.

‘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.

It makes you want to do just that listen to yourself, take your own path, live your own life. After all just like nature – we should be free.