The Geese and the Zulus

In the South African TV epic "Shaka Zulu" there is a scene where the first European officers to enter Zululand in the early 19th century are seized by Zulus and kept in a small house to await word from their emperor, Shaka. All night long they can hear the passing of Zulu regiments marching at full tilt to the sound of rhythmic chanting.

Every fall I am reminded of those Zulu warriors as flocks of geese come flying over my roof on their way to the big geese pond at the Community College. Sometimes I can hear them all night long, the rush of their wings and their honking sounding like the footfalls and chants of a Zulu regiment rushing through the night to some unknown rendezvous.