Up ahead
To my right
Above the reeds, the brush
Around the point before me
A burst of squawks and the
Beating of heavy wings
Filled the air
The head and then the long
endless body
Rose before me
Right over
The spine of my canoe
The heron
Blocking my vision
My sight, the sky
No more than ten feet above
My open jaw
And transfixed eyes.
It flew toward me
Thwump, thwump
I heard the wings breaking
the
Early morning stillness
around me
The majestic bird
Cupped its sails
And hovered for a moment,
Or a lifetime,
Time standing still around
me
The flier rising, vertical
Directly above my right
shoulder
Each feather was visible in
slow motion -
Rust, cream, slate,
And light blue eye shadow.
The feet and legs stretched
behind
Tows pointed to cut through
the air
My head rolled backward to
watch
The bird fly off, across the
lake
=============
edited
August 21, 2015
Ten
Feet Overhead – v9
(editing
version 6)
edited
December 9, 2014
Ten
Feet Overhead – v8
(editing
version 6)
edited April 3, 2014
Ten Feet (not Twenty) Overhead – v7
(editing
version posted 5/3/2004)
Edited
September 20, 2012
“Ten
Feet Overhead – v6”
editing
the 4th version (the one with Marie Harris input)
&
Edited
September 20, 2012
“Ten
Feet Overhead – v5”
(editing
the 3rd version)
inspired by
reading it at Poets’ Corner
monthly poetry
reading,
at the Suncook
Senior Center
September 10,
2012
&
Saved as separate file and reposted
September 20, 2012
published version – 2/7/2004
“Ten Feet
Overhead – v4”
Written June 18, 2001, edits June 21 and June 22, 2001, based
on input from NH Poet Laureate, Marie Harris.
&
The evolution
of the poem - Ten Feet Overhead”
The three drafts below represent the evolution of a poem,
"Ten Feet Overhead", based on a morning on Swains Lake in Barrington,
NH in 2001, reading down from 1st draft to a second version, finally to the
published version, posted here on 2/7/04.
&
“Ten Feet
Overhead – v3”
June 21, 2001
“Ten Feet
Overhead – v2”
June 22, 2001
“Ten Feet
Overhead – v1”
June 18, 2001
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