Are we Afraid?

The title is a question asked in David Whyte's poem "The Geese Go South."  He answers it quickly:

We are not afraid
though there is much to fear
and we know
there is winter beyond this day...

The images he paints in this poem and the theme took me back to a specific day in my life. Here is my response to David.

Never Afraid

This.
This takes me back to that November day
when I watched the geese
and my life purpose was soon to become clear.

I can still hear those geese
feel the cold in the air
feel my 42-year-old body sitting on
a picnic table in Longwood park
that gray day,
winter coming.

It set the stage for all that would
happen afterward
All these years now.

I recommit to that purpose every day.
Every time there is frustration.
Every time another teacher quits.
Every time someone wants to make me
Afraid.

The geese are resilient and strong.
And so am I.
The geese know their formation
and plan.
And so do I.
The geese don't quit.
And neither will I.
The geese are not afraid.
And neither am I.


Photo credit: Ewa Lundgren