In Blackwater Woods by Mary Oliver
When I first started reading this poem, I assumed it was going to be about nature and that kind of stuff. The first time I read it through, I really didn't understand; so I read it through again. After reading it a second time I realized that this whole poem is a metaphor.
At first it talked about trees becoming their own pillars, then follows up with with it talking about a fragrance being a fulfillment, then goes on to talk about cattails floating away. I imagine this poem being about how in life we grow up, have accomplishes that shape who we are; we have our ups and we have our downs but in the end the only things we need to know is love, protect and when the time comes to let what you love go, let it go. I don’t believe that this poem has to represent a relationship necessarily but it can represent anything you love in life such as: a sport, a family member, a pet or even a object. One part of the poem really stuck out to me and that was, ¨To live in this world you must be able to do three things; to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.¨ I believe that these things are necessary to enjoy life; to find what you truly love you let it go, stop doing that thing for awhile and you will come to the realization that you miss that person, activity or thing so much that your life depends on it. I also love how Mary Oliver constructed this poem; the way that the stanzas are perfectly placed so that in each one it's almost a pause in your life. I definitely think she did this on purpose so that the construction of it made you realize what it was truly about if you didn’t get it from the words. I feel like we can all relate to this poem in one way or another. We all have challenges in life that shape us to make certain choices and decide who we are, but that is a scary thing to think about, that's why she made this poem a metaphor so you can overcome that fear of what is to come in the future.
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