I lapsed
as I walked a stream’s edge,
in Cabinteely, Dublin,
on the shortest day of 2012.
Jibberwock and jebberwack
tattered comparative whys
wackjabbered back.
A worn-out self attack.
The world stopped.
The sun was still
and nature’s full soundtrack,
a suburban quiet
lush with life
silenced my monkey mind.
I dropped
over the ledge
into the flowing stream
as I walked with my daughter and dog
on that exceptionally mild afternoon.
Sparkling water,
aquiver.
Sunlight beams,
shimmering.
Upstream,
beside a mini rapid
I saw a large white bird,
standing,
to catch a fish.
It took off as we three reached it.
Our first meeting with a city egret,
a patient hunter,
statue still,
graceful with a long black bill.
Mesmerized by its streamlined flight
I traveled on its back downstream.
Wordlessly,
splicing through the air.