Joanna Gilman Hyde

On St. Patrick’s Day

or thereabouts

a friend and I

got fooled by two goose decoys

bobbing in the pond

down by The Hawk Beach

Days later I saw one real live goose

stride into the pond

to float beside his fake friends

and I thought to write a poem

about The Lonely Goose

until today, April 5th

when I walked down to the pond

to see if he was still there

accompanied by his plastic companions

and lo & behold

he was there with another

real live mate

who swivelled its head

and glided through the water

to form The Pair

in living flesh and feathers

beside the two pretenders