Flocks of Geese

Flocks of Geese

(“During a severe ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in the wealth of their generosity.” 2 Corinthians 8:2)

It was the time of year when flocks of geese
gleaned the fields. The cattle a fence away
fed on grass and drank out of tubs halfway between.
A calf chewed away just an arm-length from the fence and
turned back toward the herd as a man stopped to look him in the face.

There were footprints on the path the man had walked and
he carried the world like a backpack on his shoulders. He had
started with everything he needed but had nothing for the
weight that pushed his feet into the mud. He was not
destitute,
but he could feel the pressure of the day robbing him of hope.
But he would continue walking, he would carry on.

While the cattle grazed, while the geese fed,
he met the day the way a grandad baby-talks
the toddler who crosses his path.

Sighting down the fence-line he saw the cattle
to his left
and the geese
to his right
and remembered something like waking up
on a Saturday with the sun already in the sky.
He had room in his pack for one burden more

And he walked on to bring the easel, paint, and
brushes to the child
he had met just the day before.