The sounds of loss

Steady mooing. Moo, pause, moo. All night long. All through the day. A mother calling for her child. A calf crying for its mother. Normal for a farmer. Distracting for a rural novice. Painful for a mother.

Honk. Honk. Honk. A lonely white goose. There are other waterfowl around. Perhaps he has simply gone visiting. A chorus of honking responded to only by passing ducks. A widening search amongst dams and waterways. Growing frantic. Neck stretching. Beak wide. Settling into a dust nest alone.

Three black crows. Circling in an endless spiral. Inky darkness against the sky’s perfect blue. Ricocheting missiles of fruit and corn. Harsh cries mocking the other sounds of loss.

And perhaps literary attempts as well.