the heron

in a gap in the endless row of trucks

in the traffic jam where we were stuck

i saw him in the waterlogged paddy field

probing for worms in the muck

the paddy field was a fresh green

and the grove beyond shaded dark

where coconut and areca nut trees

shaded meandering mossy paths

my thoughts stayed behind in that gap

and with the carefree heron flew

when he quietly flapped away

against the distant mountains blue

on my ankles i felt the cold wetness

and the grass stalks brushed my leg

my toes squelched in the wet mud

and i smiled at the clouds overhead