Through the clearing between two trees Thomas looked across the river at the opposite bank. It was raised on a wall of exposed granite. The majestic tops of pine trees rocked in an unfelt breeze. Here and there herons and egrets swooped in search of fish. And further back, there rose the deeper mountain woods and glens that framed the lowest reaches of the sky. Cow-spotted by shadows made under cumulus clouds, the natural splendor of places he had never been and never would go kept stretching.
—“White Canvas, by Thomas” by J.D. Mankowski
Goose Pond
Steven Long, Editor
e-book XXXXXX | print XXXXXX
April 22, 2024 | 200 pages
Amid the unfolding ecological catastrophes of climate change and overpopulation, three flightless domestic geese try to survive in the wild. And the community of wild birds takes them in, all helping one another to overcome cold, storms, and the occasional predator. The pond could be their sanctuary — if only people would leave them alone! Instead, this vulnerable community faces a mounting assault from vandalism, pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. From all sides, people threaten their precious but vanishing world.
Goose Pond invites you to imagine the lives of the creatures around us. Take animals seriously, and you’ll realize that they have their own agendas, and their struggles are as desperate for them as ours are for us. If we were mo re alive to this level of tragedy, might we change how we behave toward the natural world?