Poetry Friday round-up is with Kay at A Journey Through the Pages.
I’ve had a lot of time lately to look out the window. A hard freeze blew through the deep south, and gifted me with time alone at home on the bayou. The winter bitter winds do not scare away the water wading birds. They must be covered in some powerful down. I’ve watched a particular blue heron, an occasional great white egret, and this morning, a family of wood ducks.
Watching the bayou inspires me to write poetry. If you come by my blog often, you know this is my ongoing topic. My blog title, Reflections on the Teche, is informed by the Bayou Teche (pronounced “Tesh”)
Taking a picture of a blue heron is nearly impossible. They respond to any human activity with flight. I painted a portrait of one a few years ago after a photo by Ralph Fletcher. This painting now hangs in my parents’ dining room.
Blue heron painting by Margaret Simon
Heron Watching
I stand still
at the window
watching.
Take in slow breath.
No need to pray
when seeing this heron.
He perches,
head down,
beak pointed to
water’s surface
where the sun glimmers
like waves in old glass.
Is it a minnow,
mosquito, moth?
I focus on the horizon,
wonder
what his patience
invites me to see?
Margaret Simon, 2018
My One Little Word for my writing life is Present. I want to show up to the page every day. I wrote a post for TeachWrite Chat Blog here. I made a Canva image of my goals for being present thinking of the heron in my backyard and his lessons of patience.
Reflections on the Teche 