The Only Life You Could Save

Photo by Dmitry Schemelev on Unsplash

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting their bad advice…

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,

that 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.

Mary Oliver