Four Egrets
at the Reservoir
Four great egrets,
the wands of their
slender necks waving,
wade through tall
reeds and tranquil
water to the sound
of a kingfisher’s
call. The tops of
surrounding trees
are lit from above,
and the ground below
them, shadowed.
All is serene, from
the gander swimming
in circles to water
striders, skating
across the reservoir’s
still surface. In
summer, lilies
bloom and multiply,
their petals a delicate
shade of pink. But
the wedding-veil-
white of the egrets’
feathers is stark
in early spring,
against umber,
sienna, and olive,
and the evening air,
cool and weightless
here, where egrets
come and go — like
darkness and the light.
— Terri Kirby Erickson
