Blue Heron - Pamela Richardson

What goes through the mind of a blue heron
as he lifts into the sky, wings spread wide,

neck unfurled and noble, legs hanging, crooked
twigs? We want to know if he will bring us peace,

a moment of stillness, a slow exhale, a night of rest,
as we had read he could. Can he teach us to stand alone

without worry of being lost or cast aside? Share
his secret for confidence and beauty, unique,

unlike any other creature? What must he think
of us when he sees our gawking mouths,

the awkward way we sit and stare? We have nothing
to give, not a twig, not a perch, not a fish to eat. What else

can we do but keep our distance? The blue heron and us,
two grounded creatures and the one who carries

wind in his slow, methodical wingbeats across the pond.
We watch. He lands and looks away.

Originally published by North Carolina Poetry in Plain Sight 2020

Pamela Richardson is a writer and martial artist who lives in Charlotte NC with her husband. She owns a Taekwondo studio, where she teaches children and adults martial arts and empowerment self defense.  She has published or has forthcoming work in The Main Street Rag, Roi Fainéant, New Feathers Anthology, and Footnote among others. Her work has also been featured in the public arts project Poetry in Plain Sight.