This poem is very loosely inspired by Migratory birds by Desanka Maksimovic. (sorry, can’t get the accent). For the dverse prompt.
Geese fly south when the cold bites
and makes them cry for fledglings
lost to fox and hawk,
to the death of hunger-weakness or guns.
Geese fly, and their cry echoes in the winter sky,
the cry of ice-bound reaches that I will never see.
The geese fly south to winter warmth because they must,
and the hunger-weak fall behind.
Although I am not a goose,
and my winter place is my summer place,
and my chicks never died of fox or hunger-weakness,
still their cries tear a reply from my heart
for all that is left behind
and all that will never return.
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Geese live with all their losses … I wonder if we ever have learned to do the same… maybe it’s their journey that teaches them to leave things behind.
They do what they have to do, no choices that puts the group in danger. One goes, they all go.
You read Desanka? I’m impressed.
Needless to say, so much is lost in translation.
No, just a poem in translation. It was in the context of the dverse prompt. I don’t read poetry in translation as a poem in translation is a different poem altogether.
Lost in translation. I hate it too.
For anyone who doesn’t read Spanish the Pablo Neruda they say they love is someone else’s interpretation of his words.
It is indeed the cry of geese on the wind which touches us – love these lines
“still their cries tear a reply from my heart
for all that is left behind
and all that will never return.”
I suppose they cry to keep spirits up, like rowing songs for sailors.
We were inspired by the same poem, yours on loss and mine on visiting. Loved yours.
Thank you! I’ll be right over to read yours 🙂
Your ending Jane, really touched a place in my heart.
They inspire awe, those birds.
Yes.
Our interpretations are quite similar. There is something about the flying V’s of geese that makes us all wax poetic!
I think that knowing how they organise themselves to help each other makes them so admirable.
A V of snow geese thrilled me once. Fine piece that puts our empathy to the test. I love animals in the wild, but I will step on a spider.
Thanks Glenn. I even leave spiders alone these days, chase wasps outdoors, rescue butterflies stuck behind the window, carry snails across the road. We’re losing too much to be able to stamp on things for no reason—reason for spider stomping for me is when they get too close to the bed 🙂
I really like the depth here Jane, somber though it is. The essence was faithful to its inspiration. It may not have been intended, but your third verse had a touch of dark humor. I smiled momentrily, and liked it. Nice work.
It was unintentional, Rob, though I was aware of the idiomatic meaning 🙂 Thank you 🙂
They do cry, and it always stabs at me. Now I know why in words. (K)
The way they change places to let the leader have a rest in the slip stream gets to me.
This is a a wonderful write, Jane! I love the story of Geese in transition and your transition to the personal with the cries of your own children. Well done!!
Thanks Dwight. We’re all in this life together, Dwight 🙂
The soulful cry of geese as translated by sensitive ears…makes me feel that “hunger-weakness”, Jane.
All wild animals see so many of their babies die, like the poorest human beings still do. I imagine they grieve and move on because they have to.
Yes…it’s the way of this world.
I like to think it’s possible to have a world where human babies don’t need to die because their parents don’t have access to our privileges. A bit more sharing of resources and investing in their development would be a good start.
Yes, I agree!
Your travelling geese are dark and tragic, Jane, tinged by the echoes of natural death and human violence. I love the sight of geese in a winter sky.
Thanks Kim, I do too and hate the idea that there are cretins willing to shoot them.
A little melancholic? 😉 Today while shopping I thought again the saleswomen would like to do it like the geese, and fly from it. With the geese, however, I also seem they a certain joy in the here and now. ,-) Michael
They represent the freedom to just fly away and never come back. But the geese work hard for their freedom, and they always do go back north because that’s what they are programmed to do.
Such a powerful acknowledgement of the feelings around loss.
Thank you. It’s a powerful emotion that we tend to forget animals also experience, but they are more pragmatic about it. Life goes on.
It does go on.
Well, we’re doing our best to do something about that…
Absolutely, no time to muck about 🙂
In twenty years the old fat rich deniers will all be dead so what do they care? Eat drink and be merry etc etc.
Yes, sickening, consume, dig up, pollute. Gasp.
Isn’t it about time someone turned up to lead the revolution?
Yes, someone young for a change, perhaps a Greta Thunberg or two.
That would be something special.
Absolutely
🙂