First Flight

This month you hear the geese at night,
they’re headed south to winter pastures.
The spring-hatched chicks on their first flight

attend their leader’s cryptic gestures,
wing to wing with nestmates, while
they’re headed south to winter pastures.

In early spring I had to smile
at fuzzy, stripy gosling clowns
wing to wing with nestmates, while

their warm but flightless infant down
was molting into stronger feathers.
The fuzzy, stripy gosling clowns

have learned to fly in every weather:
the flutter of new-plumaged wings
was molting into stronger feathers.

It’s not the time when warblers sing.
This month you hear the geese at night,
the flutter of new-plumaged wings,
the spring-hatched chicks on their first flight.