by Thomas Davis
Lost and lonely in the swamp
A wounded goose lay wild and still,
Its heart wild with the hope for life,
Its eyes calm with a sun-strong will.
The day passed over in the sky.
The hours grew long with passing time.
The night grew thick with silver stars
And swamp tides ebbed and flowed with brine.
Then morning broke above the trees
And warm, soft light surged through the day.
The goose lay wounded in the sun.
In swampy waters wild it lay.
Then high above the swamp’s wet bog
A flock of geese veed through the air,
Their honking strong with life and flight,
Their hearts wing-wild and flying fair.
The wounded goose brought up its head
And honked, its life and heartbeats strong.
It lifted wings and beat the ground
And strained its voice in plaintive song.
The day passed over in the sky.
The wounded goose lay wild and still,
Its heart wild with its hope for life,
Its eyes calm with a sun-strong will.
Note: This children’s poem, written in the late 1970s, was written to help my girls see the importance of recognizing the heart that allows even those wounded one way or another by life to keep on going. This has always seemed to be a poem about courage to me. Reading it again after all these years I still admire the wounded goose and its powerful yearning for becoming strong enough to join a flock flying through the skies.
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