Outside in the dark,
before I turn on the light
inside the garage,

I stop in the chill,
listen to them chatter overhead,
geese on the move,

a large flock, not just a honk
here or there, but the avian
call and response, a chorus

of chortles and chuckles,
whispers of wings flying low,
unseen as they travel

through the young night,
my prayers for their
safekeeping—

for all airborne beings
everywhere—
taking wing to join them.