like this morning, when the wild geese came squawking,
flapping their rusty hinges, and something about their trek
across the sky made me think about my life, the places
of brokenness, the places of sorrow, the places where grief
has strung me out to dry. And then the geese come calling,
the leader falling back when tired, another taking her place.
Hope is borne on wings. Look at the trees. They turn to gold
for a brief while, then lose it all each November.
Through the cold months, they stand, take the worst
weather has to offer. And still, they put out shy green leaves
come April, come May. The geese glide over the cornfields,
land on the pond with its sedges and reeds.
You do not have to be wise. Even a goose knows how to find
shelter, where the corn still lies in the stubble and dried stalks.
All we do is pass through here, the best way we can.
They stitch up the sky, and it is whole again.
From Radiance by Barbara Crooker (Word Press, 2005)
Photo by Melanie Lolame
Thank you
A lovely poem, thank you, Barbara. The geese stitch up the sky, love that and all the rest. I love watching and listening to the geese flying who knows where, and always think of Mary Oliver, and now I will think of you. I ‘met’ you on James and Danusha’s excellent webinar. I have shared this poem to my FB page. Thank you again.