Egret in the Shallows ©

Photographed at Herdsman Lake with the WA Naturalists Club,  27th Sept, 2015
 
Egret in the Shallows

Never clumsy, sturdy knees,
she stands in the shallows
waiting to strike.

Each foot turns over, slowly, right
then left. A young body, white body,
eyes hardened into the bedding of paperbark.

Without knowing her meal might vanish,
move into the cool shadows; the world waits
as the heron waits.

If her fish disappears without explanation,
does she feel anger, loss, anxious? Or is this
simply a walk in the lake?

I first thought that this waterbird was a "crane" - not so, it is an "egret" - still learning!