Something Told the Wild Geese, by Rachel Lyman Field, is one of my favourite poems.
With an evocative misty photo, taken in early September just up the coast, it’s a fragment of poetic melancholy for this time of year when the air is cooling and the birds are starting to dream of warmer skies.
These were seabirds, not geese, but the ethereal-looking scene brought to mind the simple words of this beautiful poem.
Atmospheric twilight at Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland
Something told the wild geese
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.
(If any observant bird spotters can identify the seabirds please comment below)
Read more wild-inspired poems or poetry posts here
WOW, this just nearly made me cry. My surname is Wildgoose and my brother died the beginning of October last year. Something told our wildgoose it was time to fly…
It’s a beautiful poem isn’t it, something soulful and melancholy yet uplifting. Sorry to hear about your brother. I hope this poem will always remind you of him from now on