|
THE BLUE HERON
By Bjo Ashwill
There was this moment, you see.
I saw a Blue Heron.
The Blue Heron Moment.
This was the 24,703,200th moment
Of my life.
I saw a tall legged
Long necked, fat bodied blue bird.
Well, actually, that's not what I saw.
I saw God, or me, and the wind
Ruffling the Blue's feathers gently.
That moment,
The Blue Heron Moment,
Was framed in blue.
Shades of blue
A circular frame of sky and wind danced
Water. A new moon of water tucked
Between the marsh grass covered land
A sandwich of blue Heron fishing for
Her lunch.
I sat, encased in my metal van
Sat, encased in my metal chair,
I, in my soft living skin, surrounded with
Sweaters, scarves and hats, sat.
I saw through my eyes, through the window glass,
Through the noises of my brain, through the wind,
Through the reflections refracting on
This world I feel and see but do not
Know.
I saw the grace of the moment.
The amazing grace of the Blue Heron Moment
As she turned and saw me, you see.
She turned and she saw me.
My hands convulsed around the camera.
Knowing she would move. Leave. The moment
Shatter into another moment, Still--
I must have this moment on film
To carry, to see, to remember--silly me--
But I am not a Blue Heron--yet.
I opened the side door with a motor grinding sound
My wheelchair lift groaned itself out, like a
Drawbridge over a moat. My chair whines out
To the tip of the lift and I sigh,
"She stays--she stays" in wonder that this moment,
the grace of this moment, still lives.
Despite me. Despite my compulsive greed--
The amazing grace of the Blue Heron Moment stays.
She didn't miss a beat, fluid movement blended
One into the other. She cocked her head, shifted her
weight slowly from one knobby knee to the other,
Bent, nipped at the water and then lifting
Her long neck she swallowed silver morsels of fish.
The wind stroked her feathers like a careless
Hand. The same wind that brushed my face
In passing.
She turned and in silhouette, I saw
Two herons, one reflected in the water,
Mirror image. Two curves, two circles
Two s shaped necks balancing
The Yin and the Yang of the moment.
I was complete. It all fit.
Then she turned toward me and lifted her
Long thin neck and looked at me.
We looked at each other as the wind
Passed us in yet another world wide circle.
We simply looked at each other.
And then I knew--what--I do not know,
But I knew, then and there, here and now
Something.
Something about circles, something about moments,
Something about peace and being.
I tucked the Blue Heron moment,
Into my heart.
I take it out and feel it--
On rainy days--when a Blue Heron
Comes in handy.
When a Blue Heron looks at me and
We are the Universe.
|
