Monday, November 30, 2009
White Heron Becoming Sky (poem)
White Heron Becoming Sky
Suddenly
it appeared,
white magnificence
at the edge
of the shallow pool,
going about its
single task,
seeking sustenance
from the muddy floor,
yet utterly dignified,
absorbed,
oblivious
to all of us gathered there
to watch in silence,
the way I suppose
a god might be,
gathered in his composed majesty,
allowing us
to observe his
stark beauty
close at hand,
as if we did not matter,
as if he did not deign
to notice
our quiet awe,
until she left,
stretching her great wings
like an archangel taking flight,
then rose until
we could no longer
tell
which was bird,
which was sky.
Dorothy Walters
2007
