Patterns of Belonging

An older poem for this season of migration.

Photo by john Cox on Unsplash

As the great migration from north to south begins, I was reminded of a older piece I wrote a few years ago about watching geese gather in flocks by the hundred, shapeshifting into patterns of belonging across the sky.

have you ever stood still
and watched with eyes full of admiration 
for the way geese fly together
without conflict or hesitation

there is a mutual understanding between them 
as they take turns leading the flock
making room for each other 
to participate in the day’s mission 
of getting from one place to another 

wings spanned wide open 
into a pattern of belonging

can you imagine what the world would be like
if we made room for each other in the same way
without conflict or hesitation 

we too, could share a mutual understanding 
bound by a collective effort of togetherness 
that forms a path for the way forward  

like the geese who move across the sky 
showing us that it’s possible