The white bird is an egret. We usually see them in flocks, but this solitary individual (weirdo maybe) was flying with a great flock of red kites. The kites were after the hot-blooded creatures disturbed by the mowing, the egret was after grasshoppers.
beneath drying stalks
once gold
green ribs shine
waves of heat-shimmer
on the meadow break
with poplar-hiss
shade pools
dim as ocean depths where
bramble flowers wink
all these months
the thrush has sung dawn to dusk
through the dark days
light glitters now
damselfly-bright on the last
wave tip of spring
Beautiful, Jane 💜
It’s all settling again after the upset of yesterday. Life goes on;
Excellent 💜
🙂
😀
Congrats, Jane! Now its hunting season for egrets. A little bit horrible seeing the days getting shorter and the nights longer. Want to have my summer back, in the full lenght, without lockdown. Michael
I think the egrets are more or less protected, as long as the kites don’t decide to tackle one.
Don’t remind me—we’re on the gentle slide back to winter.
I can feel the coldness and darkness in my mind. Maybe i will buy a little tanning bed.
Not the same. Save your money and your skin 🙂
Thats true, but its better than nothing, and for better feeling too. Lets look, maybe only a little one, for the face. :-))
Are you imitating that man who looks like an orange?
Green ribs, poplar-hiss…Jane, you’re a genius.
Those trees are like having the ocean outside the window 🙂
I bet.
I love your descriptive words, “damselfly-bright,” winking flowers, poplar hiss. . .
But I’m really thinking about that egret. I’m imagining him friends with the red kites. . .and they have adventures together.
I wonder if birds understand other bird languages.
It was really weird. Those red kites when they’re in a mob like that are a bit frightening. They’re big birds. I was talking across the lane to the neighbour who had come out to admire the haymaking and while we were talking the kites came flying low just behind me and with them, this one white egret, as if it had picked the wrong flock.
That is so weird and cool at the same time. It’s like you saw a bit of magic.
It was! Nature comes up with some inexplicable things sometimes.
Very true.
Gorgeous words, Jane.
Thank you, Katy 🙂
That must have been a strange sight. I used to see egrets flying by one of the apartments I lived that was near the river.
The meadow looks naked. It will be more itself in a week I imagine. (K)
It was really weird. The neighbour asked me if it was an albino kite…
Beautiful Jane
Thank you 🙂
With a “wing tip,” we salute spring and fly into summer. Regarding the narrative, maybe the egret wanted company. I hope it’s an option that’s successful, meaning safe.
It must be reasonably safe because the egret comes back every morning. The kites haven’t been back though.