This poem seemed to tell a story, the journey Millicent took to find herself and realize that she has a place in the world. The beginning of the poem says she started out staying "near light, the edge where bushes grew, where her way back appeared in glimpses among dark trunks behind her." This tells me she was curious to explore the world, or "the woods," but that she was not yet prepared to get lost and completely separate herself from the comfort of home and the life she has always known. However, one day she finally ventured her way far enough through "openings where giant pines had fallen" and reached her destination: Lost. Now she was lost, everything she would encounter would be new and surprising. I particularly liked the end of the second stanza where it talks about Millicent first realizing "she was part of the world and that it would follow wherever she went." That epiphany is something I think we all experience at some point, often in childhood.
As I was reading this poem, I really thought of myself and how I am still trying to find my place in this world among all these people. Millicent reminded me of the person I am now, being a Senior and trying to figure out where I want to attend college and what I want to become after college and really just the person I want to be in life. I’m scared to death to think about venturing out on my own and taking on this world, but at the same time. Millicent did not find out that she had a certain place in this world or what that certain place is until she ventured out on her own and became “Lost”, which in my opinion meant being around things foreign to her or being out of her comfort zone. When people are put into situations where they are uncomfortable and out of place, I believe this is really when they find out just how strong they are and what they can make of themselves in that situation. Stafford described Millicent as being a part of the world’s breath, she was a part of the world, a piece of the puzzle, and not just a bystander watching the puzzle being pieced.
