A posting from the Anonymous Political Poet, copyright 2005:

Ode to the Goose

It’s really hard to say good bye
But it’s time for you to go
You’ve been here now for many years
Spring summer fall and snow

You’ve been an icon for our city
A source of joy and pride
When we’ve walked among you,
you’ve been there by our side

Your happy, happy honking
And graceful water landings
Have kept you in good graces
And in our top ten standings

But nothing lasts forever
And circumstances change
Romances cool and even die
The familiar turns to strange

Now each year you’ve come
You’ve brought a lot more of you
And now that you’re so many
It’s very hard to love you.

There’s goose poop on the parks and lawns
On playgrounds and the street
On campuses and  sidewalks
Stepped in by little feet

It’s not just the filth and slime
Or the quantity each year
But an ugly threat has raised its head
To change our love to fear

Uncle Sam says no more poultry
(Guess what! That’s you!)
from Canada because
we fear the new bird flu.

The first dead goose will scare us all
And make your presence harder yet to take
Then what you’ll see are goose blinds
Lining Silver Lake

We wish that you would fly away
And go out like a winner
‘cause more and more you’re looking
like someone’s fresh goose dinner

The Anonymous Political Poet, 2005