Canada Geese
--
A tanka poem series inspired by the sound of geese announcing their return this morning.
hear the geese come north
from their southern winter homes
one more sign of spring
their triumphant raucous song
discordant but so welcome
each pair to its pond
or lake or bog or river
to spend the springtime
and long hot days of summer
watching this year’s goslings grow
until autumn winds
bring the cold and fallen leaves
which announce it’s time
for the Gaggle to gather
for one more southern journey
see them high above
in reverse V formation
driven by a joy
to be among the living
a glory of creation
what would it be like
to join those long migrations
high above the world
and to see the sights below?
oh how my soul is longing.
I once lived in a small New Hampshire village where my then wife was the town librarian. The library had been given a variety of preserved birds; which was strange but also interesting. My favorite, by far, was the goose (or gander?) poised in a position of flight. I saw joy and longing in its eye. The librarian thought I was ridiculous.
But I saw what I saw.
