You do not
have to be good
You do not
have to walk on your knees for 100 miles through the desert, repenting
You only
have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves
Tell me
about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine
Meanwhile
the world goes on.
Meanwhile,
the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the
landscapes
Over the
prairies and the deep trees
The
mountains and the rivers
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
