green water, white geese

early this morning the river was a deep dark satiny green. gliding by on the outgoing tide were four geese, three a shining white so stately and elegant that for a moment i thought they might be swans; the caboose was gray and buff and kept disappearing like camouflage. they climbed out of the water on the other side and stood facing me, the white ones reflected in the green water like crisp sails. they all ambled under the five enormous firs that stand side by side along the bank between the river and the hill. then one by one they stepped back into the current and floated out of sight.

they leave behind a silver trail, a sparkling wake that follows each of them for a long distance, like jets in the summer sky. such flowing graceful beauty, it cannot be denied, from such cranky, hard scrabble creatures. we always wanted geese in freestone but stopped just short each time temptation arose, having young children and knowing how irascible and combative they can be. looking back i am impressed by this rare common sense and restraint on our part; there was far too little of that when it came to acquiring dogs, cats, goats, lambs, rabbits, chickens, ducks- just about any kind of animal, whether feathered or furry. and apart from the eggs we never ate anyone in the backyard so it was a lot of care and expense for the pleasure of their company.

just now the gang of four has deigned to come aground right out front, nibbling their way across the flats under our windows at low tide. they are just so cool, from a distance. they remind me of the really popular girls in elementary school. out on the playground their jump rope or hopscotch looked like the most fun, until i got persuaded to join them - once lured in i didn't like how they treated me or worse how they treated other, even less popular kids. in time i learned to screen them out of my peripheral vision, their tantalizing laughter and perfectly timed twirling didn't deliver as promised close up, wasn't worth the inevitable zingers, biting remarks, and sarcastic little digs, the hurt feelings or painful embarrassment. an important life lesson though if it's what led to being able to resist the siren song of a box full of goslings all those times at the feed store.