Young Writers Society

Ballad of the Great Goose War

In dedication to the brave lady who prevented our local pond becoming a blood bath. I don't know you, stranger, but I do think about you often.

We observe the soft surface
of the thunder-gray lake,
Serene as the face of the moon.
Silent; all for the waves the wind doth make.
But it is here that our brutal, bloody battle shall break.

If you possess a brave heart,
Take a gander at the goose dubbed Gary!
We asked him to rate the pros of combat,
And with a mighty honk, he screeched “VERY!”
As vicious as a killer whale, rad as a canary.

Look, across the lake, ashore,
A second, more fearsome dame,
With wings that span many miles,
“Goosandra” is her noble given name,
But “Shredder” you would know her by, the one that’s won her fame.

The two, with their beady eyes,
Have for scores been mortal foes,
And now, they sail towards each other
A game of chicken, to die before they slow
Single-minded focus on a violent warzones throe.

Their meeting is a fearless dance
Of beak, blood, feather, slaughter.
Gary and Shredder shriek their battle cries,
Their beating wings disturb the water.
In this senseless, endless battle, neither is the martyr.

I avert my eyes, frightened,
Unmoving feet fixed and unsure
Thinking, acting, far too late
As their brutal battle wages ashore.
And I say in horror, that I am “Surely nevermore!”

But lo; a gentle hand on my shoulder
And forth leaps a hero onto shore,
She steps between the geese,
Spreads her arms wide, shouting “no more!”
The geese startle back, and waddle, waffle-ly unsure.

Fixing them with the fiercest glare
By far the fiercest today
Tired, annoyed, a mother failed yells,
And the gander Gary cowers away,
And Shredder, silently, slips from the fray.

And quiet, at last, returns.

I forgot to add a table of contents so here it is:

1. The Ballad of the Great Goose War

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There are not enough ballads around anymore; and they are such a wonderful way of portraying story. I obviously have a soft spot in my heart for birds (& chickens & geese in particular) so I already knew I was going to like this poem by the title. In my hometown there was a similar "save the ducks" situation at our local duck-pond. This sounds quite a bit more extensive and dramatic though! You captured a great level of anticipation as the story went on, and managed to do so quite poetically. Looking forward to more of your poetry this month!

I love how this is both silly and serious at the same time, and you actually captured that so well here. The rhyming is perfect, too! Can't wait to see more!!