Once upon a time there were giant masses of arctic geese that migrate every year from way up north, not too far from the North Pole. Each winter they fly south and make their home on the prairies of Kansas.
We hear them flying overhead early in the morning at dawn, all day long, and especially in the evening as they make their way to their nesting grounds for the night. Mishka, the family’s English Mastiff, and I see them quite often when we take our daily walks or when we are out working in the fields. Literally.
The following poem was inspired by themes of wintering and the geese. It burbled up while driving to [former] work one day.
Keep reading to see all the geese inspired pictures, our outdoor office, and the poem!
Fallow
Fallow, fallow, fallow lies the field.
Still.
Silent.
Dry.
Unbroken.
Yet broken.
Swoops down now
Great shoals of Arctic birds
Upon the fallow fields.
They land on the clods that are still unbroken,
Picking away at the earth
What there’s still to yield,
And what was thought barren and empty.
This great roaring shifting shoal,
Like a swirling swarming tornado,
That forms in the swirling heights
Turns round and round:
Swarming curling airborne masses
Wait to land on their own clod of earth.
A big thanks to Fr. de la Tour for sharing his knowledge and love of the geese.
Thanks so much for reading!
When you click the pictures-link below, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for helping me!
Click on the pictures, and each link will take you to some things making my outdoor office possible: Mishka’s collapsible water bowl, and the super light and packable chair!
Bridget Bryan 