Five White Heron

The glint of the morning sun on their wings
Caught me, and I looked up:
Five white heron flying in formation
Well above the nest of the osprey
And their very territorial mother.
Five white heron pulling together
The threads of morning and of life
And vanishing into sunlight.

This was not a miracle or
A sign from Jesus
Or some axiomatic truth.

This was just a true thing
About herons:
They live the big picture.
They say nothing.
They are there
Even when you don't notice them.
They will step into slime
And eat frogs.
They will fly into light
To blind you so that you
Will have no idea where they are going.

This is not a parlor trick (sacred or secular).
This is life.
It is a one-shot deal
That does not require your narrative,
So keep it to yourself.

Look up.
Look around.
Move on.