Why Geese Fly Farther Than Eagles
I've never seen a bird so large, so near
but clearly ill, she landed here,
Indeed nearly dead.
I fed her some and then said,
"You may stay here, if you choose."
And that's how she became "my" goose.
At least I said she was mine.
And I suppose she was for a short time,
until she was stronger, when I set her free.
But for a while she stayed with me.
No eagle claw, hooked beak, or furrowed brow.
Of these things she had no need
For she was content
To fill herself on things among the weed,
and down around the small fish.
Now, that's a dainty dish
if you're a goose -- or a Swede.
That is not to say, however,
and it would be wrong to think of her as weak,
not strong like the eagle.
For though the eagle is stronger in the fight,
more fit for the kill,
my goose can fly farther and longer
than any eagle ever will.
Oh, I've heard much lofty talk
about the eagle, falcon, and the hawk.
And it's not my desire
nor would I conspire,
to pull those big birds down -- Who would dare?
For when I watch them flying so high up there,
sometimes like a solitary dot,
I can but gaze in wonder and utter,
"My gosh, look at that!"
But as I've tried to imply,
whether in the trees or in the sky,
eagles, falcons, and hawks are almost always alone,
or at most in twos.
And that's what separates those birds from my goose.
I suppose those in Iowa or Nebraska
would know it best,
for the sky is higher in the West.
But even as a lad nestled in the Alleghenies,
I looked forward, each fall, to seeing as many
as a thousand geese arrowing into view
over autumn ember elm, maple
and white birch too.
One day, lying alone on my back,
hearing only the sound of a distant train
on some far-off track, I saw before my eyes,
ten thousand feet high or more
a sight which, to this day, I must say,
I've seen nothing like before.
The head goose, the leader of the V,
suddenly veered out, leaving a vacancy
which was promptly filled by a bird behind.
The former leader then flew alongside
(the formation continued growing wide),
and he found himself a spot at the back of the line.
And they never missed a beat!
Well, I was on my feet,
gaping mouth, gazing south,
wondering what on earth I'd seen.
I told my friends.
They said, "So?"
I said "'So?' What do you mean?
Have you ever seen anything like that before?
Mark? Jay? Paul?"
They said "No, but don't be a bore;
let's go to the park and play some ball."
So we did. And that was all.
Well, now I'm an adult, And I'm very busy.
I suppose that's a part of being grown.
But the point is, I hardly ever have time alone.
Not least, lying in the lawn looking for geese.
And if I do see some, it's more or less luck.
Or I'll see a goose, but it's really a duck.
I might glimpse one up high while I'm stuck in traffic.
And that's why I'm grateful to National Geographic.
For it tells me what I now tell you.
And if you don't believe what I say is true,
then you can go look it up.
What I witnessed that day as a child
has been going on in the wild
since the very first Autumn.
You see, their bodies are
When the head goose grabs the wind
air is displaced,
which then rushes up to reclaim its space,
only to see the smiling face
of the bird flying next in place
whose wings just happen to be in the downward position --
a very dangerous condition,
which doesn't last for long,
Because the upward rush gives the wings a push,
and
So the head goose breaks the wind,
and all the rest are carried along by him,
with very little effort, I've heard
on the part of any one bird.
When the head goose has had enough,
he or she simply drops back
and depends on another bird for strength
when strength is what is lacked.
So that's how I found out how the goose
can fly from way up North to way down South
and back again.
But they cannot do it alone you see,
It's something that must be done in community.
These days it's a popular notion,
and people swell with pride and emotion
when they think of themselves on the eagle's side,
solitary, self-sufficient, and strong.
But we are what we are.
That's something we cannot choose.
Though many would wish to be seen as a hawk or eagle,
I think God made us to be like the goose.
Nancy (was read at '97 conference)
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