HERON IN WINTER

Photo by S. Auberle

I saw her today,

blue on blue on blue--

ice, sky, bird.

She was stepping slowly

onto the frozen pond

and how, you may ask,

do I know the bird was female?

It was just a look,

a topknot of feathers

ruffled in the cold,

the way she stood so still

as I passed near.

There seemed to be a connection,

(a poet's fancy, no doubt)

of eggs and nests and nurture,

a connection in the season

when bird and woman

must leave safe ground,

step out onto that place

where our old faces

shine back at us,

new and full of light,

though we feel unsure,

but strong, because

it's what we have to do

sometimes, to survive.

The sky is a mirror

beneath our long legs

but oh, beautiful sister,

where will you sleep tonight?

~ Sharon Auberle

(An old poem, revisited, from my book Crow Ink, Little Eagle Press, 2009)

Also, very pleased to announce a poem of mine over at http://www.yourdailypoem.com/

check it out, if you have a chance.