Poem: Benediction
A meditation on change
You have hunted here many years, Heron
And displayed great patience in your gate
Only the most necessary inclinations of your neck
Between the tall reeds to see what you will eat
Only a soundless bend of the knee
But the wind has come and blown your cover
Lifted up around you your great plumage
And made mirages on the water
It is the sky, opening and making motions to you
Pushing heat and cold in concert, across continents
Ariel and invisible
They are ancient tidal highways
You are evolved to ride
Do what is in your design, Heron
Kick up your long legs
Rise and glide
This poem was originally published in Timeless Magazine, December 2025.