The heron moves in slow motion
careful,
deliberating,
testing each step
toes touching the ground
tentatively
And then pauses
freezes in both time and space
becomes grey stone
still, silent, statuesque
yellow eyes focus
patient yet intent
the neck coils back
serpentine
ready to strike
Myself, the cyclists,
the joggers, the dogwalkers
people out for an evening stroll,
ducks, swans, midges, bats
the wind in the trees,
the faint few drops of rain ...
dissapear
The world shrinks
to a slight movement in the water
all that is important
a small, dark, shape
unaware
The moment comes
Refraction, angle, trajectory
calculated instinctively, instantl
Sky lark
High, high above this feathered soloist
Invisible in the blue expanse
Heralds in the spring time
With omnipresent song
Let all else fade to silence
Let the hectic world fall still
Mind, be calm and listen
The soul of the earth is this.