Brief Communion – a poem by Lori Zavada

Brief Communion

The breathtaking heron floats down
on a sepia evening to land
on the seawall. His blue sails span six feet.

Entranced by the intimate encounter, 
by his beauty and grace,
the stick legs supporting his hull,
I forget to breathe.

He toes the seawall, takes his stance.
I scan the slash of dark feathers
above his intense yellow eye,
inspect the curves of his question mark neck.

For a brief moment 
we trust the space between us,
share the silence, soft light, and warm breeze. 
The wind ruffles his fringe, tousles my hair.
Then he presses off for the ochre sky,
as quickly as he appeared.

I watch his yacht cruise across the glass surface,
inches above bay waters,
dragging his oars behind.

He grows smaller and smaller until he disappears
and I’m struck with sadness.

I sit alone until dark like a child 
forgotten after school,
believing he’ll round the bend 
and come back for me any minute.

Lori Zavada writes poetry and prose that reveals a deep respect for nature and the human condition. Steeped in insight and imagery, her poems can be found in Of Poets and Poetry, Operelle Poetry Collection, Emerald Coast Review, WayWords,Nobis II, and her chapbook First Flight. Lori lives in Northwest Florida in a community of talented supportive writers, who work together to achieve their writing goals.