The following version of this poem was used to create this guide: Oliver, Mary. "Wild Geese." Dream Work (The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1986).

Note that all parenthetical citations refer to the line number from which the quotation is taken.

"Wild Geese" is a 1986 poem by Mary Oliver composed of a single stanza of 18 lines written in free verse. Like much of Oliver's writing, this poem is situated in the Romantic tradition with an emphasis on nature and visionary union. The speaker in "Wild Geese" does not attempt to transcend nature and the human body. Instead, the speaker instructs the reader to unburden any sorrow by communing with other beings in the world and remembering one's place "in the family of things" (line 18).

Oliver has stated that she wrote this poem to practice using end-stopped lines. But what began as an exercise in poetic technique resulted in one of Oliver's most anthologized poems, credited with saving lives with its life-affirming advice. In the first lines of the poem, the speaker challenges the notion of perfectionism. As the poem progresses, the speaker points out the cycles of nature that continue even when the reader despairs. The last lines of the poem are an invitation for the reader to commune with other beings in these natural cycles.