
The Great Blue Heron walked on slender feet
And rain clouds drifted in the breeze
The wind imparted tiny waves like furrows
On the water by its feet.
A large Ibis with green and rusty feathers
Labored hard for food
Its large curved beak in mud
It thrust like spade.
A young alligator—a baby still—
Slow, out of water drew, and climbed to rest
On widened twigs by flowering plants
His yellow strips glittered in the air.
And Mallard ducks dabbed in green duck weed
—Like carpet made of silk—
That clung to all that lived, in water’s
Slow persistent drift.
There I walked on wooden decks
And though I’ve seen and heard it all before:
The sound of wind through tree tops leaves, and
Birds’ songs, to each, to all, that found at last their niche
It stirred my heart and moved my soul to heights and peaks:
Crystal clear, where flowers in perpetual bloom
Sway within melodious tunes
By heart I knew before, and still recall.
Green Cay nature preserve, Florida.
© Dr. Ehud Sela. No work herein may be reproduced in any way without expressed permission from the author.