Mary Oliver 3: “I Looked Up”

 “I Looked Up” by Mary Oliver

    The poem begins with the speaker looking up and encountering a vivid image of a bird among the green branches of pitch pines. The use of intense colors like copper, iron, and bronze creates a striking visual image of this bird, particularly against the dark backdrop of the pine branches. This description not only emphasizes the beauty of the bird but also suggests a transformative or almost mythical quality. "What misery to be afraid of death. What wretchedness, to believe only in what can be proven." Here, Oliver contests the fear of death, and this could be seen as an invitation to embrace mystery, spirituality, and the unknown aspects of existence. Additionally, when the speaker makes a little sound, the bird looks at them and then looks past them, indicating a moment of acknowledgment followed by a broader perspective. In this poem, the encounter with the bird becomes a metaphor for contemplating life, death, and the limitations of the human mind as it relates to introspection and searching for deeper meaning.  

This poem first intrigued me with the description of the bird. I had no idea what species she could be referring to here, and in my research trying to solve the mystery, I understood that it wasn’t what kind of bird it was that mattered, but rather what the bird represented. I think this is a short, but beautiful, dedication to the delicacies of the human world. We as humans may live short lives, but nature lives on forever around us. I think this poem could also be used in the context of preservation and global warming. We as humans fear death so much, yet we are in essence creating our own demise with continuous industrialization. I think overall, this poem speaks to the reader because of its imagery and shockingly truthful underlying meanings, as Mary Oliver's poetry often explores the intersection of the natural world and the human experience.