(blank verse sonnet)

They glide with ease across the winter sky
on waves of air below the cirrus clouds.
Some wing their way a little further south,
while others stay to spend the season here.
Compared to climes of northern Canada,
Ohio's weather probably seems warm.
I think, though, that it's not the cold they mind;
they simply seek a constant source of food.
The geese that linger in these parts well know
they needn't travel on to be well fed.
The lakes and ponds are rarely frozen far
and snow is hardly on the ground for long.
These ganders wander back and forth each day
while leaving fresh deposits on our lawn.

Susan Eckenrode (2003)

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