Skip to main content

Between Late June and Geese

Written by
Posted in


The ground is our enduring hope. First came
months of a relentless scorching that lasted
beyond any reckoning we have ever known.
The earth grew angry, strangled many things.
Then came a time when geese arrived back
in our skies and on the shyly lapping
shores of our lakes. In black night geese’s blasts
shake stars. Between those two times, earth’s orbit
Tilted us away from the sun. The fibers of satsuma
spiders in vibrating webs, dew as it drenches fields
even sheets of paper on desks feel this
the removal of sun’s intensity. Feel
That decrease lift in every cell. Such loss is gain
Held in quiet and in speech upon our tongues.


Ed Ruzicka has published three full-length books of poetry, most recently, “Squalls” (Kelsey Press, 2024). Ed’s poems have appeared in the Atlanta Review, the Chicago Literary Review, Rattle, Canary and have received Pushcart nominations. Ed, who is also the president of the Poetry Society of Louisiana, lives with his wife, Renee, in Baton Rouge.