the rape of the goose

a: there was a controversy at the duck pond today.

b: tell me more.

a: a goose-woman was possibly raped.
A sudden blow:
The great wings beating still
Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed
By the dark webs, her nape caught in the bill...

b: this is most likely untrue.

a: everyone in the park stopped and stared at these two fighting geese. everyone thought that one lady goose was being brutally victimized by a tougher, bully goose. unfortunately we, the public, not knowing of the mating rituals of water fowl, attempted intervention. The male goose appeared to be drowning the other, biting her feathers out, beating her sides with his large wing, and strangling her with his beak. this seemed bad.

b: have you not heard of the pleasures of asphyxiation?

a: no, what's that? anyway all the women in the park came running yelling "oh my gawd!!!", and some men in suits yelling "stop him!!!" and the ladies were knocking away the goose with their handbags and the men were kicking him with their fancy shoes.

b: was there any voice of reason present?

a: yes. across the pond, the people were yelling, "what are you doing????? stop it!!" at us. not the geese.

b: it is interesting that the two factions were magically separated by water.

a: it would be funny if one of those people came over and whacked one of us with a purse.

b: yes. and what were you doing this whole time?

a: i was right up in the action, laughing. but i didn't have a purse. a few times i stuck my toe in the fight but i was very tentative about it. i did feel gleeful. previously to this i was sitting on the ground musing at the whimsy and beauty of the water fowl. now a male goose was being brutally beaten by business persons.

b: hmmmmmm...

a: even as i walked back to work after this episode i felt very happy still. i thought "life is good." this has been a good day, and it will continue to be. the sun is beautiful.

b: you are a sick, goose-sociopath, full of schadenfreude.

a: huh?

b: by the way, that poem, its about a swan raping a human girl, stupid.

a: yeah but it's sorta related.

b: true. true.