poem and photo by James C. Horner ©2020
My Star Trek mug
heats up a pool of black coffee.
Next to the Enterprise
a Romulan warbird de-cloaks,
like a great blue heron
appearing out of the green canopy.
How I long to flee
my stay-at-home-shelter-in-place
coronavirus confinement
and fly
toward the Chesterbrook heronry
of 37 nests
by the water-filled quarry!
I would gather a stick
and present it
to my female
who would add it
to our nest
strengthening our pair bond.
Dusk filters the pond.
The heron stretches out
its long stick legs
flaps silently
with its white neck
held in an S-curve,
two plumes trailing
from its joyous
and lonely head.
What an amazing poem! I can feel that theme of “spreading of wings and freedom” throughout the whole piece. I like how you start with the distinct image of the Romulan de-cloaking, then comparing that to the great heron. You did something very different by comparing that to the heron, rather than the more expected method of comparing the great heron to something else. You flipped it, and it works well.
What a beautiful passage, starting with: “I would gather a stick and present it to my female…..” Lovely. Such love and tenderness there.
Outstanding final stanza! You close with an “ending”, the finality of the day – dusk, and the lovely silent flapping of wings.
“…its joyous and lonely head,” – Love it.
Love the pic of the heron, too!!