Poetry Response 3

This week I read "In Blaclwater Woods" by Mary Oliver. This poem seems like it's overall message can be interpreted many ways, however Oliver's imagery is very straightforward, which makes the poem easy to follow and fun to decode. The first four stanzas plant a very vivid picture in my mind of a gorgeous and serene woods, which makes me want to continue to read the poem. It's as if Oliver is describing a place where she can forget her troubles and the saddness of the world for a while. The second half of the poem lost me the first time I read it, but upon reading the poem a few more times I thought she was saying that coming to Blackwater Woods makes her realize that everything in life is trivial, except 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." By this, I think she means that we must appreciate everything mortal because it only lasts for a short time, and know that every living thing depends on every other living thing--we must not destroy this cycle. And also, along with life there is inevitable death that we must accept. It's as if coming back to Blackwater Woods reminds Mary Oliver of these things because it is so placid and peaceful that she can forget things that are unimportant in the long run: appointments, errands, etc. Also when she talks about "the black river of loss/ whose other side/ is salvation" it made me think of the river Styx in Greek mythology, that seperates life from the afterlife. This allusion made me think she was talking about life and death, and how all life must be appreciated because it is always only temporary.