“Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver is one of my favorite poems of all time, with many themes that I think young people, especially college students, can relate to. I find myself re-reading it every so often, and it remains beautifully written and thought out each time.
It is a timeless poem that speaks on allowing yourself to love, and seeing the beauty in things despite struggle. There is something so deep in the lines and the wording that I particularly love, and Oliver does an incredible job of portraying homesickness for a home you don’t quite know anymore.
When it comes to college, you are almost told to think of your new school as a second home. You are encouraged to think this way in order to settle in, and not dwell on the fact that you are a hundred, thousand miles away from everything you’ve known. You’re going to be there for four years, after all.
I think my college town will always feel slightly alien. I am not as familiar with its streets or buildings as I am with my hometown. There are people who look like people from home, but there will forever be something off. Despite this, I still love this new place I’ve found myself in. Of course I miss home and the people waiting for me there, but I find comfort in the thought that this town holds so many memories and opportunities for my future.
In “Wild Geese,” this feeling is written into its body. The last part of the poem reads,
“Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.”
Loneliness is a problem among college students in a new town. I find a sort of comfort in the line “family of things.” You have a place in these new experiences. Though it might not be an exact family, it is a family nonetheless. It can also be read as being a member of multiple families. There are so many communities in college, with truly a place for everyone. It is that “harsh and exciting” feeling that motivates me to find acceptance in this new town.
But finding love among people is different than finding love in yourself. I think it is easier said than done to love yourself. It is something most people struggle with, whether a small feeling deep inside you, or a thrashing thing that is close to breaking out.
This poem has lines that speak on this feeling and validates it. It is my favorite part of the poem, and truly gives me a different perspective on what self-love looks like. The beginning says,
“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.”
I feel such a deep and real calmness in this part. It reminds me that no one is perfect, and we should not be expected to be. You do not have to go through mental trenches in order to love what you are given. I am realizing slowly that it is okay to not be “good.” There is not a “good” that anyone can be that is universally accepted. So why hold ourselves to an unachievable appeal? Doing things for yourself will bring you more fulfillment than doing them to be seen by others.
College has taught me a lot about myself, and the things I hold in high regard. The deep homesickness is an inclusive experience, and it is OK to just exist. There are people waiting for you to find them, and opportunities around every corner.
When I am once again challenged by a new town somewhere in my future, I will look for the wild geese.