dad, I and the kids climbed the fence
hiked through the woods to the
great blue heron rookery my nieces
discovered recently when dad told them
to keep their eyes peeled, and they spotted
great birds circling over a distant woods
we spent two hours watching some 100
huge birds flying to and from their nests
sometimes seven nests in a tree – they'd
brake in for a landing, let down their long
clumsy legs – at any one time we could count
fifteen or twenty sitting in their nests with
dad's bird glasses we could look them right in
the eye the kids gathered egg shells – large
smoky blue and feathers – the woods
verdantly lovely it was a perfect afternoon
2021 Jacqueline Jackson