Special Post #2- "Walking Home from Oak-Head"

1.

The piece that I chose to write about was Mary Oliver’s “Walking Home from Oak-Head.” Her poetry is beautiful and this work is especially striking with its vivid imagery, to bring “the snow-laden sky in winter” to life. The title, “Walking Home from Oak-Head” reveals what this poem is about. Oliver paints a picture of a person traveling on foot through the snow. This character is not in a hurry to arrive home, but rather, she takes time to stand still in the peace of the woods, to let the snow fall around herself and enjoy “the lovely meaninglessness of time.” Eventually, after reflecting and walking, the traveler comes to her destination and vigorously  stamps her boots, as the residue of the snowflakes is still on her shoulders.

2.

This poem by Mary Oliver needs to be interpreted because there is more to glean from this work than is evident with the first read. “Walking Home from Oak-Head” has more behind it than just a beautiful description and reflection of one walking home in the picturesque winter snow. Mary Oliver believes that poetry is “a spiritual practice” and she is quoted saying that “Poetry is prayer.” I agree with her thoughts and a spiritual side to this piece of literature is evident as we take a closer look at Oliver’s writing.

3.

Beyond the idea that Oliver presents of a simple walk home through the snow, there is an underlying spiritual theme throughout the poem. There is a reference to “home” as her ultimate destination. This “home,” or end of the journey, could be seen as Heaven from a spiritual perspective. The completion of our earthly existence then brings us to Heaven. 

The someone that “loves [her] there,” could be interpreted to be Jesus. Truly, He is waiting for His children to arrive and deeply loves them as well. Since some are not there yet, but rather here on earth, they “stand in the same dark peace as any pine tree.” Those on planet Earth can experience the peace of God though there is darkness all around. The pine trees, then, could represent the people that are with us along the journey. 

Other spiritual references could include the wind representing the Holy Spirit, and the “I” representing Jesus as the One in whom we live and have our being. Lastly, part of Oliver’s poem mentions how the earth is faithful to continue. This is an example to us of how we also need to be faithful and persevere in our walk with the Lord.

4.

Now that I’ve given some possible interpretations, there is evidence that support these views. The first spiritual theme is “home” alluding to Heaven. The words, “Whenever I get home---whenever...” reminds us that we do not know the time that we are going home. The Lord may come back for us, or we may all live full, long lives. The line “Sooner or later I’ll be home” also reflects this thought. In addition, the portion that reads, “I’ll stand in the doorway... my shoulders covered with stars” is a key part. Choosing the word “stars” over other possibilities leans more towards the thought that “home” is referring to Heaven.

A piece to verify that the “somebody” could represent Jesus, is that if “home” is still considered Heaven, then Jesus is there right now in Heaven, at “home.” He is waiting for us in Heaven to arrive, and He does love us. Another possible reference to Jesus could be the “I” in the poem, according to these lines: “Wherever else I live--- in music, in words, in the fires of the heart, I abide just as deeply in this nameless, indivisible place, this world...” Jesus is everywhere. He is omnipresent and He is in everything: in all that we do and in all that we are. He abides in this world, in our hearts and is enthroned through the words we say or the songs we sing.

Next, the woman walking this journey personifies the pine trees in Oliver’s poem as she is standing there along with them, like she is one of the pine trees, as well. Oliver indicates this idea as she writes that “Meanwhile I stand in the same dark peace as any pine tree.” She is like a pine tree, just waiting there in the woods and being still in the dark peace.

There are also lines that testify to the wind symbolizing the Holy Spirit. Such as, “Or wander on slowly like the still unhurried wind.” The Holy Spirit’s presence is around us all the time: omnipresence. We should make sure that we don’t rush our time with the Holy Spirit, but let the moment be meaningful, so we don’t miss what the Holy Spirit is speaking to us. But when we do not have the relationship with God, we cannot utilize the power that He has for us. The power is around us, but we cannot engage it without a personal infilling of the Spirit. Yet, when we choose to link with God, He wields the power in us to affect others, and we give the glory to God. We receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us. Then we are given gifts of the Holy Spirit to also use to show God’s power. Other lines with evidence of the Holy Spirit include: “Waiting, as for a gift, for the snow to begin which it does at first casually, then, irrepressibly.” Like in the New Testament, in Acts two, the Holy Spirit came “as of a mighty rushing wind” and as those in the upper room were filled, they were not able to contain themselves but began to speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them. The Holy Spirit can be irrepressible, uncontrollable and unrestrained when we operate in Him and work together to glorify God.

Finally, the last piece of evidence supports the idea of a faithful earth, and is found toward the end of the poem: “This world... which is faithful beyond all our expressions of faith, our deepest prayers.” This line clearly states that the world is faithful more than we are, and the prayer within our hearts is to be faithful as well. Although the earth is “falling apart now,” our world continues to turn upon its axis and revolve around the sun to give us our days and nights. The earth has continued to be dependable to present the seasons and our normal days. We need to pray that we can be devoted and faithful in our relationship with God. Everyday, we should grow through spending time with the Lord to develop more faithfulness in our lives.

5.

As we take Mary Oliver’s poem and read it, we receive different messages. First off, “Walking Home from Oak-Head” gives a delightful description of a winter walk through the woods and will bring images and memories to those who have personally experienced this journey. Secondly, we can gain insight of how our spiritual journey should look like. Jesus is waiting for us in Heaven, but He is also in everything that we are. Although we may be in the darkness of this world, the Lord will give us peace. We need to take time with the Holy Spirit and let Him work in big ways in our lives. And lastly, we need to remain faithful to God, like He remains faithful to us, by letting the earth continue as it has been for many years, as an example of  consistency in our lives. Others may have more interpretations, but I believe that Oliver subtly puts this spiritual aspect into the poem for us to discover, and from which we may learn. As we are existing on this earth till the Lord brings us home, we are called to live for Him and to serve others. We can be challenged by Oliver’s words in this poem to improve our relationship with the Lord and walk the journey presented before us.

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