Departure of Ardea, (When the Heron Flies) Options

[Thoth]

Departure of Ardea
(When the Heron Flies)

Ardea Goliath, the giant heron

From the gleaming sandbank,
a dark hunched valkyrie
patiently contemplates the wind.
Glossy goliath wings, spread abruptly skyward;
Momentarily she stoops, then -
leaping into the air,
sheds the earth-ties of gravity.

Slender legs droop gracefully behind,
silver droplets falling
onto a trail of widening circles
on the muddy shallows where
small fish and water birds scatter.

Keeping low,
powerful down-curved wings
pulse with slow deliberate strokes
while a black river-bound spirit scurries beneath,
pursuing her across the restless water.

Gathering speed, she climbs,
working for altitude until turning
to a chosen heading, massive weapon
folded back, into a streamlined sheath and with
wings-beats calmed for cruising flight,
she rapidly vanishes into
the river haze.

Alone in the moody stillness of Africa,
I am left disturbed by the knowledge that
one day - she’ll not return.

- -
© WW Schwim

Goliath Heron - Ardea Goliath. While still resident on some of the larger rivers of Southern Africa, the largest living heron in the world, is now threatened by human invasion of it’s habitat.

This is what she looks like;

[Maggie]

Hi Wally,

This type of writing is so difficult in my opinion, and you 've done the noble bird proud with your fine descriptive free verse poem in my humble opinion!!! I struggled for a long time on a poem about a sea gull a few years back and sadly learned that I didn't have the right vocabulary and knowledge of oronothology to do it justice. You, on the other hand, have more than excelled, I believe.

I enjoyed the poem!!!

Peggy