Milkweed by Mary Oliver

The metaphor of milkweed is brazen. Milkweed is distinguished by pollen buds growing in round clusters along the stem. After buds mature the wind spreads pods in every direction as part of the breeding process. This is a clear statement about commonly accepted place of women in society during this time. Basic imagery is encompassed, "a country of dry women."

As she looks at them and perhaps they judge her, Mary Oliver never had children of her own. Instead, she pursued her career with her life partner and literary agent Molly Cook. The description of the traditional lifestyle is adorned and then smudged in lines like, "certain amount of rough joy."

It would be easy to say she was disdainful of men or felt inclined to promote feminism. The last four lines of the poem read as:

I wish you would walk with me out into the world.
I wish you could see what has to happen, how
Each one crackles like a blessing
Over its thin children as they rush away.

This is clearly a personal commentary towards women who promote the traditional lifestyle of marrying and having children. Though extending an invitation to have a grand life as she has had, the underlying tone is accusatory and insulting. In this way it becomes a direct response to women who questioned how Oliver has chosen to live.

The underlying tone is then an exact response in repeating, "Of course you are okay, but...." Though the intentional imagery is milkweed growing along the plains and forests, the image of shrewd women smiling as they deliver cutting remarks to one another at a society meeting is extremely vivid.

Quirky Books
Dream Work by Mary Oliver