The Great Blue Heron is a loner, often seen wading across the bayou on stealthy legs. No fast movements for this bird. And when he takes to flight, it is a glorious regal sight of his wingspan of six feet. The Great Blue Heron is a widespread water bird foraging in marshes, swamps, and lakes. I’ve seen them in Louisiana and Mississippi, and my friend Molly Hogan took an amazing close up of one in Maine. I think a bird image can make us pause and marvel in the beauty of nature.
A Lune for the Heron
Stealthily abides.
Margaret Simon, draft
Feathers glide.
Minnows, you should hide.
When writing small poems, each word counts, especially in such a short poem form. I rewrote my last line in a number of different ways and settled on speaking directly to the minnows. Try to condense your words into a small poem today. Add it in the comments and support other writers with your comments. Thanks, Molly, for the image. Thanks to my student James for asking for a bird photo today.
Reflections on the Teche 
Blue Heron
The blue heron stands at water’s edge
Solitary, still
With single-minded focus
Watches, waits
Passing by, I see him
Alone, but not lonely
And I take heart
Draft by Diane Anderson
Diane, this is wonderful—and exactly what I feel every time I see a blue heron, still as a statue until food comes along!
Diane, this is a perfect description. I especially like “single-minded focus” and how you relate to the bird, taking heart in “alone, but not lonely.”
Diane, what a lovely poem, and the Blue Heron a metaphor for how one can be “alone, but not lonely” Beautiful!
I love the alliteration of solitary, still and watches, waits. They do make you feel alone, but not lonely. A spirit animal.
I wrote this some time ago… recently it was the poem I recited for our Poetry Jamboree during Poetry for Kids with Irene Latham and Charles Waters (and special guest Carole Boston Weatherford) at Highlights Foundation
Love that single-minded focus.
I remember your poem from the workshop, Diane! “alone, but not lonely” – lovely.
Margaret, I love this “small” poem with such big heart…The heron is a special treat whenever we see one.
Each visit
we search you out
and take new paths
hoping you grace the day
with grey-blue majesty.
Carol, I like the searching & hoping and the word “majesty.”
Carol, I love that you have a relationship with herons and are consciously on the lookout for them. You “take new paths / hoping you grace the day”–that is a wonderful reason for taking divergent paths. I needed to use grace in my poem too.
Grace is the word bracelet I am wearing today.
Majesty is such an apt description!
“majesty” is a great word for the heron. I used it in my poem today, too. I like the alliteration of “grace” and “grey-blue.”
Hoping you grace the day… a beautiful phrase, could be used often when we think of what we’d like to see out in nature
Margaret, your small poem packs an entire story! I like your choice of warning the minnows.
Letter “S” on stilts
Stands stock-still and
Waits. Insects buzz,
Breeze rustles reeds.
Finally, fins flurry,
Beak nabs,
Bird’s patience prevails.
Jane Heitman Healy, draft
Jane, so many beautiful sounds together here in your poem. the /s/, /r/, /f/ and /p/ alliterations really make your small poem fun to read. I also saw and used that S in the photo.
This is a model poem of sounds. Great word choices. Thanks.
Those first two lines are heron-perfection!
Wonderful alliteration! I like how your words created tension and then burst into activity about half-way through.
Patience prevails…
Such a spot-on description—I could see it happening! They are so wonderful to watch, and you captured it perfectly!
Thank you, Carol, Diane, Rose, Buffy, Margaret, and Denise!
Margaret and Molly, thanks for the challenge today. I am not sure I’ve ever seen a great blue heron. The picture really shows his majesty. “Minnows, you should hide” is perfect for those eyes spying them out.
S-necked
Harpoon-billed
Piercing eyes spill blue
Winged grace
Denise, this has fantastic rhythm and great description.
Love how you got that blue of the heron’s eyes into your poem. Wonderful!
As I told Carol above, Grace is the word I am wearing today. We are all on a similar wavelength of respecting and honoring the grace of the heron.
Love the idea of heron’s eyes spilling blue!
Ooh! I love “piercing eyes spill blue!” Fabulous—
Thanks to Molly for the beautiful photo. Stealthily is the perfect description for this abiding bird!
Trickster in the Swamp
Drippity-drop from my beak,
luring fish with seeds they seek.
Watching, wading, stirring muck–
Foolish fish, you’re out of luck!
–Buffy Silverman
Buffy, yours is an echo of mine speaking to those fish. I love your rhymes. I flip flop around wanting poems to rhyme or not rhyme. I tell my students that rhyming is a tool in their toolbox. They don’t always have to use it. Thanks for writing today.
Lovely, Buffy! I enjoy how the heron speaks directly to us and the fish.
Buffy, I love this scene with the heron as trickster! Such fun!
Wonderful characterization of heron as trickster!
Your short poem says so much, Margaret.
Great Blue Heron,
What creatures do you seek?
What’s hiding from your gaze?
Whose majesty amazes?
You, noble bird.
What’s hiding from your gaze? I like how you used questions… and that’s my favorite.
Rose, I really like the use of questions as you wonder, and then pay homage to the heron.
Rose, excellent questions, and I especially like the last question and answer.