Ankle Deep Goose

I saw a goose today standing in a mud puddle.  Just standing there.  The puddle wasn't big enough for him to float.  Just to stand ankle deep in muddy water.  No larger than two times his body size.

He was in the middle of an area they are slowly doing some construction on.  Just gravel and mud and one mud puddle with one goose standing ankle deep in it.

A few hundred yards down the road was a bigger open area where there was a bigger pond.  True, it is only a construction pond, too, and is littered with garbage, but at least it has grass growing on the sides and three other geese floating happily on it.

Only a little farther away are quite a few little lakes.  Fish swim in them, geese and ducks and the occasional swam float on their surfaces.  Trees hang over them and the land around is green with thick clumps of vegetation perfect for nesting wildfowl.

But this goose stood ankle deep alone in a small mud puddle in a construction zone. 

I wanted to tell him to get out of the puddle.  To spread his wings.  To look farther than where he is.  To leave the puddle and go find a pond or lake to float majestically in.  To splash and wiggle his tail and dunk himself in and let drops roll down his feathers.

He is not made for standing in mud puddles.  He is made to swim and enjoy

But he just stood there looking miserable.

I don't know why.