It is late in the afternoon when
They land in a glide on the stubble
Of the wheat field to gorge on what
The threshers have left behind.

Yellow aspen leaves leave
A welcome mat on the steel-gray
Water of the neighborhood pond
Where the Canada Geese reconvene

Honking in the rush-hour traffic.
In the mornings, early, we hear them
Filing the flight plan, their formation
Always the same, the rising sun

To their left. With a tumult of honk
And flap they lift off–southward.

 

Bruce Morton divides his time between Montana and Arizona. He is the author of Planet Mort (FootHills, 2024) and the chapbook, Olive-drab Khaki Blues, forthcoming from FootHills Publishing. His poems have appeared in numerous online and print venues. He was formerly dean at the Montana State University library.