When Writing of Geese
When
writing of geese my mind starts to boggle.
Are the geese gathered in flock,
skein, or gaggle?
I
consult erudite tomes to learn what each means
But still can't decide - flocks,
gaggles, or skeins.
The
conundrum becomes prolonged writer's block,
The failure to choose a skein,
gaggle, or flock.
The
publishers call talking of deadlines and clocks.
"Decide" they demand,
"between skeins, gaggles, and flocks!"
"Among!"
I tell them. "You should not say between
When choices are three like
flock, gaggle, and skein."
"Choose
now," they admonish. They don't want to haggle,
And don't care a whit about
flock, skein, or gaggle.
And
so I decide with a deep sense of peace
To omit the collective and say
simply "geese."
Tony
White
Bethesda, MD
cdrawhite@aol.com
Webmaster: Neil E. Taylor