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Convivium was a project of Cardus 2011‑2022, and is preserved here for archival purposes.
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When It’s Time to Go

As the geese skim the waters edge, photographer Linda Couture reflects on the power of nature to signal a shift in time. 

Linda Couture

Something Told the Wild Geese

by Rachel Field, 1894-1942

Something told the wild geese

It was time to go,

Though the fields lay golden

Something whispered, "snow."

Leaves were green and stirring,

Berries, luster-glossed,

But beneath warm feathers

Something cautioned, "frost."

All the sagging orchards

Steamed with amber spice,

But each wild breast stiffened

At remembered ice.

Something told the wild geese

It was time to fly,

Summer sun was on their wings,

Winter in their cry.

This poem is in the public domain.

  • When It’s Time to Go