October 2009 Article 1 | Article 2 | Poetry Corner
“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 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
Which 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.
The Athena Connection: October 2009 Article 1 | Article 2 | Poetry Corner