From my kayak, on calm water,
I watch the gray-blue
feathered sculpture
of a Great Blue Heron.
He stands on stick legs
in the soft shadows
of the smooth shallows,
as still as a dead branch.
Yellow eyes stare with intensity.
S-shaped neck ready to strike.
He leans slowly forward
with imperceptible movement.
But then a change of attitude:
He decides to leave the water;
lifting effortlessly on wide wings,
gaining altitude, legs dangling behind,
rowing through humid summer air.
Seeking new water, a new site,
to resume stealth stalking
on stick legs, with a supple neck,
to stand as still as a sculpture.
I continue to paddle
in the soft shadows
along smooth shallows
gliding through humid summer air.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. & 3. Rogue River ~ Rockford, Michigan
2. Eagle Lakes Park ~ Naples, Florida
