Some believe in moving forward without looking back. Mary Oliver's poem, "Wild Geese," inspires individuals to come full circle, combining the past with the future in order to bring out the best in the human spirit. In fact, the title evokes images of freedom, reliance on others and an illustration of repeated determination. Oliver stirs the reader with striking imagery of unwavering geese on the wing and the steadfast return to their habitat.
             Throughout the poem, Oliver speaks to the reader with a tone of encouragement. The first stanza focuses on the individual, persuading the reader to look inward. For instance, the first line "You do not have to be good," is affirmation that merely being is precious. The following two lines, "You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting," validates our thirst for acceptance and the capacity to look at what went before with forgiveness. Next, "You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves," is indicative of allowing fellowship with ones inner child in order to remain open and honest to all we hold dear.
             The second stanza carries on the tone of support while directing our attention outward, highlighting the need for friends. Consider lines 6 and 7; "Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine." These lines suggest an invitation for friendship, of listening to and caring for one another even as we recall past sorrows. As a result, with the aid of our loved ones, existence is bearable and "the world goes on." Then, "the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain," provide a sense of refreshment to the reader's spirit. The following line, "over the prairies and the deep trees," strikes a chord of being wide open and vulnerable, yet sheltered and safe as caring friends surround us. Line 11, "mountains and rivers,&quo...